


Dragalia Lost: Shattered Light

by SharpEyLogic



Category: Dragalia Lost (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22043254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharpEyLogic/pseuds/SharpEyLogic
Summary: Humans and dragons. In a normal world, they would be inconceivable together, but in the land of Alberia, the myth of dragonblood within human veins runs true. However, such power evokes war, chaos and suffering and after centuries of peace, a new age of darkness beckons on the horizon. The return of a dark empire and the rise of a mythological overlord... can one prince truly save it all? Dragalia Lost novelization mostly in the POV of an OC character. Pairings unknown. May be updated irregularly. Kudos and reviews appreciated!
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. The Windwyrm Search

"Your Highness, it's getting late. Is it really safe to continue on the search?" I asked the prince as we pushed forward in a shadowy wood. The sky above us was rapidly fading from it's previous vivid blue, turning into a shade of black as stars lit the sky and nightfall came to the world. I pulled a dry stick from my traveling supplies, along with a box of matches. Lighting the torch ablaze, I cast a bright circle of light around us.

"I get what you're saying Adrian, but we can't just return to Father empty-handed after all we've done today. This is the place we're looking for," The prince insisted, "The Windwyrm's Wood. Here, we should find the legendary Windwyrm dragon and the pactstone. Both are what I need to become a true heir of Alberia"

Nothing around our surroundings said that this was the Windwyrm's Wood, but I decided against arguing with the prince. I was a knight of Alberia and he was the prince. I couldn't defy a member of the royal family. Even with a lord as kind as Prince Euden, I didn't dare step too far out of line. Defying orders got me nearly killed once, so I thought it best to remain stoic and obedient. At least until I had some freedom…

"Very well. Let's proceed ahead then" I led the way through the beaten forest track, hand tight around my spear in case any enemies approached. The prince of Alberia with one lone guard already attracted more than a few rogues hoping for a quick buck. We dispatched them with ease, but I feared what came out of the dark.

"Adrian, wait!" The prince broke me out of my thoughts, holding my shoulder to stop me. I cursed myself for my recklessness because right in front of us were a small pack of fiends, monsters that populate the world during the War of Binding. Supposingly, they were sealed and held back by Sacred Shards, but clearly not now.

"We're not slipping through without them noticing. Let's take them out" The prince drew his sword, 29 inches of fine Alberian steel. How nice that the noble gets the stronger weapon while I'm stuck with this battleworn lance, but it would have to do. The prince charged into the fray and I followed along with him.

"Hah!" The prince slashed at the slime fiend with his blade. I almost felt bad for the adorable blobs in their pots, but they packed a punch when they rammed into you. Plus, I had a duty to attend to "Adrian, be careful!"

"I'm fine!" I called as I sidestepped the slime's bash attempt and drove my spear through the opening of it's pot, lancing it between the eyes. The slime whimpered before fading into particles of darkness.

"A job well done," The prince sheathed his blade before coming to my side again, "Wonder why fiends are here though. Did something happen to the sacred shard?"

"Perhaps it's power is weakening over the years," I shrugged before hauling the torch high again, "Let's continue going"

As the duo moved through the forest, they encountered progressively more and more fiends. They came in short and small waves, enough to combat with two soldiers, but it was troublesome seeing so many in one place. With the way the shards were placed, shouldn't every area in Alberia be free of fiends?

"Blazing Circlet!" My attention was brought back by the prince's voice, who erupted his sword into radiant flames to vanquish a small pack of wolf-like fiends. The fiery mana spirit inside the prince manifested well, it seems. I shouldn't be surprised, given that he was trained by Leif. Anyone under his tutelage or the retired sorceress Cassandra would know how to master their elemental spirit quickly. As for me, I haven't tamed it yet.

"Hey Adrian, what's the hold up?!" The prince cried up ahead. I shook my head, trying to rouse myself out of it. I was thinking too much and got distracted. I needed to stay focused.

"Nothing, Prince Euden. I'm just… just thinking," I sighed, "Forgive me for my faulty service. Letting you walk ahead of me was dangerous"

"Think nothing of it. I understand that you're troubled," Euden replied easily. I raised one eyebrow. Euden was so… loose and carefree compared to the other Alberian royalty. Focused and determined like the others, but more forgiving and gentle. Had I pulled this behavior in front of Prince Leonidas or Prince Emile, I would of been fired on the spot, "The amount of fiends here are growing and getting stronger…"

"Troubling indeed…" I made my way in front of Euden again before a distant voice echoed through the wood.

"Turn back… You're making a terrible mistake…" The voice whispered. Though quiet, both me and Euden heard it loud and clear.

"Who said that?" Euden asked, both to me and the empty wood. He got no response, "Well, nothing's stopping me from getting this pact, so I can't heed your words"

"Reckless head you have," I smirked, "Hope you're glad I'm here"

"I am" Euden nodded before jerking his head forward "Adrian, watch out!"

"Huh?!" Before I knew it, a sphere of dark energy slammed into my chest. I was paralyzed from head to toe and couldn't move, my spear and torch locked in my hands. I saw Euden in a similar prison, a product of not being fast enough to dodge. The fiends, who looked like giant bats with bulging eyes and teeth, screeched in victory before a loud, female voice cried through the air.

"I'll help you, Brother!" A blonde girl wearing nothing but a sleeveless baby blue dress and an elegant white sash came onto the scene, brandishing her long ivory staff to send two bolts of light striking into the fiends, taking them out and breaking the spell. Both me and Euden fell to the ground, panting.

"Zethia! Notte!" Euden stood up with a look of surprise, dusting off his pants "What are you two doing here? I told you to stay in the castle!"

"I agree with Prince Euden. It's very dangerous for the Holy Auspex to be out here at night" I told Zethia. I would have worded it more harshly if she wasn't so important. Reprimanding the "goddess Ilia reborn" wouldn't bode well for me "Please, go back to the castle and preferably, with your staff ready"

"No, I won't," Zethia shook her head and I slapped my own, exasperated. Both Alberian royals were reckless blondes and I was stuck with them. I came for an easy job and babysitting the Auspex wasn't part of it, "Brother, you can't do this alone. Let us help you"

"Besides, we both know the only reason you benched us is so we could come swooping in to save the day!" Notte, a small, pink haired fairy floated up to Euden's face. Fairies were rare in Alberia and I was surprised to see one, much less one befriended to Euden and Zethia.

"I was TRYING to protect you! This forest is overrun with all manner of fiends!" Euden insisted.

"Pfft, protect us from what? The dark prison me and Zethia busted you two out of?" Notte scoffed.

"She's right, Euden. We agreed on this. No matter how trying the ordeal, the three of us must face it together" The Auspex said soothingly and I suddenly felt very left out.

"Ahem, I'm here too, you know" I spoke up and Zethia turned to me, suddenly aware of my presence.

"Four of us" She corrected herself.

"You're right. I was overconfident," Euden relented, "And there's no denying that we need your help. Thank you, both of you. Come now, our goal is just ahead"

With our two new companions, we pushed deeper into the wood. Fiends appeared like always, but we dispatched them with ease thanks to Zethia's magical aid. People who used magic like her have truly mastered their inner elemental spirit. Only a select few could do that and even fewer could perform magic while wielding a weapon. The latter were called Mage Fighters or Magi and were ferocious.

"We can do this if we work together. Now come on, let's keep fighting!" Euden rallied. So soft and idealistic. My mouth quivered in irritation from it, but I listened regardless "Adrian, we'll flank this fiend from both sides while Zethia hits with magic"

"Understood" I charged to the left and Euden to the right, trapping the massive snake that slithered out of the woods. The serpent noticed me first and jabbed it face in a bite, but it was met with my spear stabbing it through. I pulled my lance free and stabbed it again before it could retaliate, this time through the belly. Euden struck it from behind, shearing off chunks of snakeskin and muscle with his sword. The fiend, realizing it was outmatched, began to retreat, but Zethia fried it from behind with a sphere of light, ending the threat.

"Up ahead should be the heart of the forest," I informed the trio, "Ideally, that's where the pactstone should be. Let's move"

We trudged ahead into the heart of the forest. I re-lit my torch as it was dying out and saw nothing beyond a stump in the middle and several wildflowers blooming in the nocturnal grass. No pactstone in sight.

"Well, here we are. Now, who's ready to find a pactstone?!" Notte cried enthusiastically "It's gotta be around here somewh-"

"Why have you come here? If you knew the powers you were trifling with…" Suddenly, a blonde girl warped in front of us, looking eerily similar to Zethia. However, her face was covered with a red-tinted mask and she wore a black dress almost no different from the Auspex's. Around her arms was an ebony black sash flowing in the wind and in her hands was a golden staff, tipped with a ruby. If I was a betting man, I'd bet my trusty spear that she was Zethia's twin. 

"Stay alert, Brother. Something about her is not right" Zethia warned and Euden nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that much is clear. You there! Identify yourself!" Euden called with a strong, confident voice. However, the masked girl simply sneered.

"I've no time to bandy about words," The masked girl said coldly, "I will stop you from forging this dragonpact, no matter the cost!"

The masked girl rose her staff, conjuring a purple portal that spawned a dozen fiends. The familiar clothed and clawed kind and the goblin-like ones who wielded clubs.

"Gah! How did she… Zethia and Notte, take cover!" Euden cried, but not before a fiend smashed his club over Euden's head, making him tumble to the ground and drop his sword. The fiend moved in to finish his off, but I stabbed it through with my spear, dissolving it into dark mana. I stayed close to the fallen body of the prince, but there were too many fiends closing in to fight off. Plus, the masked girl could have more tricks up her sleeve.

"Back off!" I shouted, swinging my torch around, "I'll set you ablaze if you come any closer!"

"Brother!" Zethia ran towards Euden, despite his orders, "Hold on! I'll heal you!"

As Zethia worked on healing the prince, a fiend rose it's claw to strike the Auspex, but shoved my torch onto it, burning it to ashes. Before I could turn back to the fiend crowd, one of them slammed my face with it's club, sending me to the ground and hazy with pain. I rose up unsteadily, but I felt blood gushing out of my mouth and nose.

"You must put an end to this folly at once!" The masked girl commanded, halting the fiend advance. I stared ahead and saw that she was charging a spell, indicated by the aura of dark magic flowing around her feet "I will see that this mistake doesn't happen again!"

Suddenly, the dark aura vanished and the masked girl stumbled, clutching her arm and staff tightly, "No… No! I'm so close! I can finish the task… I just… just need more mana!"

Euden sat up, completely restored thanks to Zethia, "I...I don't understand what happened. The dark aura about her has completely fallen away"

The prince got onto his feet and approached the shadow mage, his sword ready "No better time to seize this chance!"

"Stop!" The masked girl roared, "No closer!"

She thrust her staff towards the approaching Euden and a torrent of shadows spilled forth, condensing into a swirling portal that roared even louder than it's summoner. Out of the portal came a massive, lion-like beast with sharp claws and a long poisonous tail. A manticore.

"Ooo...kay? Please tell me someone has a plan for THAT" Notte said, quivering as the manticore laid low, poised to strike on the girl's orders.

"We'll hold strong. Don't worry," Euden assured, stepped in front of Zethia and Notte, holding his Knight's Grace steady, "I won't let any harm come to either of you. There's still a way"

The manticore's footsteps shook the earth as it approached Euden and company even closer. I dug through my pouch and brought out a potion, drinking it to heal my wounds. If the Auspex wasn't going to heal me, then fine. I'll do it myself.

"O great dragon of the forest! If you can hear my voice, then heed my call!" Euden shouted, raising his blade into the air, "Grant me the pactstone's power!"

Suddenly, the prince was enveloped in a sphere of light and a godly voice echoed through the forest, briefly scaring the manticore back.

" **I hear your voice, pact-seeker…** " The voice sounded lordly and commanding. Far more than any of the other nobles and rulers I've seen before, " **Now prove your feeble flesh can withstand the supreme might of a dragon!** "

The light around Euden fell away and got replaced by a pulsing aura of yellow light. The prince's sword fell to his side in awe as a shining green crystal appeared in front of him, gleaming despite the lack of sunlight. The pactstone of the Windwyrm.

"That light… the pactstone!" The masked girl gasped in horror, "But that can only mean one thing!"

"The dragon has answered me!" Euden cried in triumph before clutching his fists together, closing his eyes in brace, "HaaaaAAAAAA!"

The golden light around Euden condensed into his chest before surrounding him again. There was a brief flash of light before the shine faded, revealing a giant, majestic dragon in Euden's place. Midgardsormr, the legendary Windwyrm and Conductor of Storms.

"ROARRRR!" Midgardsormr's voice pierced the air and disintegrated the manticore to ashes instantly, along with the other fiends. The dragon took one step forward towards a horrified masked girl before light gathered around Midgardsormr again, turning him back to Euden and dropping him to the ground.

"I… I shapeshifted…" Euden panted, getting up from the ground and retrieving his sword, "So the pactstone's power is true"

"No… No no… He's forged the pact again…" The masked girl quivered in panic, "Is there no changing this?"

The masked girl backed up before raising her arms, pulsing with dark energy, "I can stay here no longer. But I will return!"

Suddenly, more fiends appeared as a dark portal opened behind the masked girl. She began to levitate towards it to get away.

"Not so fast! Hya!" Euden slashed his sword in front of him, throwing a mini tornado of wind that cut through the fiends like wheat. The attack struck the masked girl and broke her spell, sending her back to the ground and onto her knees.

"Gya!" She cried, clutching the side of her face in pain. Euden approached her carefully as she got up, wincing as part of her mask fell off. Once it hit the ground, the air went still as Euden gasped in shock. The masked girl had azure blue eyes and her face looked exactly the same as the Auspex.

"Wait, what? How? I mean, HUH?!" Notte cried out, "That's Zethia!"

Notte looked between the two blondes, pointing at both of them, "But it's also not Zethia, because Zethia is standing over there and… WHAAATT?!"

"Auspex, I didn't know you had a twin" I said, half jokingly and serious.

"I don't!" Zethia replied, equally as shocked.

"Nnngh… you weren't supposed to figure outm" The other Zethia growled, holding the other side of her mask so it wouldn't fall off, "But regardless, our time is up. We will finish this another day"

With that, she erected a portal behind her and flew in, disappearing into the nighttime twilight.

"She's gone" Euden said flatly, still in shock over everything that has happened.

"Are you alright, Brother?" Zethia asked.

"I'm fine. Glad to see you two are as well" Euden smiled lightly, still a bit shaky.

"So uhh… I didn't imagine that, right?" Notte asked, frowning, "Because I swear I didn't lose myself in berries this time"

"No, I saw it too. She looked exactly like Zethia," Euden glanced over to where the masked girl used to stand, looking troubled, "Just what happened…?"

"What could it mean? Who even IS she?" Zethia murmured, looking similarly worried.

"I don't know," Euden sighed, "But I have a feeling we'll cross paths again soon…"

"Let's not worry about that. Our mission is complete, Prince Euden," I said, pointing to the pactstone floating next to the blonde prince, "Behold your pactstone to Midgardsormr: the god of storms"

"Now you can join our brothers and sister in the line of succession!" Zethia clapped happily as Euden grasped the pactstone into his hand, admiring it.

"Woo-hoo!" Notte cheered, "Man, that dragon must have seriously liked you!"

"I suppose so. Guess that means I'm in line for the throne now" Euden bit his lip. He had a sneaking suspicion that he got his stone too easily. He knew for a fact that Leonidas and Chelle had to trial much worse in order to get theirs, so why was his so easy? Plus, it was a pact with Midgardsormr, a dragon much higher than Leonidas's Mars and Chelle's Cait Sith. This had to be a trick.

" **Not yet** " The same lordly voice said again from the stone, surprising Euden and almost making him drop it.

""Not yet"? What do you mean, dragon?" Euden asked quizzically.

" **I lent you my power only to stop the Otherworld's encroachment** ," Midgardsormr said flatly, " **My pact with you is but a transient one** "

"So you won't be able to throw air blades or shapeshift into him anymore…" I realized.

" **I need to see how this unfolds** ," Midgardsormr continued, " **If you wish to see our pact made true, then journey now into the Mistholt** "

"Wait, so this pact is temporary? Can he even do that?!" Notte hovered towards the pactstone and tunneled her mouth with her hands "...HEY, DRAGON! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT!"

"I thought he gave up his power too easily" Euden shook his head "Very well, Midgardsormr. I'll go where you ask, and I will prove myself to you!"

" **You have fire in you. I like that** ," Midgardsormr replied without a hint of admiration, " **Tell me your name** "

"Euden. Euden Nagali Alberia" The prince answered.

" **Euden… it is a good name. Familiar somehow** ," Midgardsormr said, " **Come then, Euden. Find my abode at the Mistholt!"**

_Our team:_

**\- Euden, Dragonblood Prince - Fire sword. Level 2**

Equipment: Knight's Grace (Weapon)

Skills: Blazing Circlet

**\- Adrian, Yearning Freedom - Shadow lance. Level 1**

Equipment: Battleworn Lance (Weapon)

**\- Zethia, Holy Auspex - Light staff. Level 10**

Equipment: Astrolabe (Weapon) and Auspex's Prayer (Wyrmprint)

Skills: Auspex's Repose, Holy Heart and Astro's Protection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've tangled around the idea of a Dragalia Lost novelization for months now and finally, here it is. I had trouble with working around the game's mechanics and story in a novelization format, but several of my friends helped me through in that regard and now this story might just be able to move on it's legs now. Not sure how often I'll update this, since I have a PMD and Fire Emblem Heroes novelization to attend to, but hopefully I can do this stuff regularly since I adore Dragalia Lost to bits. Until next time!


	2. Faith of the Paladyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the encounter with the mysterious masked girl, the attainment of the Midgardsormr pactstone and the challenge issued by said dragon, Euden and his group venture deeper into the Windwyrm's wood. Conflicts arise and paths cross in the first chapter of the Prince's long journey...

Sunrise has arrived and typical of Alberia, it risen over the sky quickly. Before we knew it, the entire forest was bathed in shining rays. Nobody paid any mind to it though as Euden looked to be deep in thought, staring down at the ground while Notte and Zethia quietly talked behind him.

“Is something amiss, Prince Euden?” I asked and Euden looked up in brief surprise.

“No, no. It’s nothing,” Euden looked down at the ground again, “I was just… thinking. Back to what Father said when he sent me onto this mission”

“Oh? What did he say?” Sadly, I wasn’t given much briefing beyond needing to escort Euden to the Windwyrm’s Wood to attain his pactstone. Beyond that, I knew nothing.

“He said that a Sacred Shard was hidden somewhere here in the Mistholt. Along with the pactstone, I needed to retrieve it to replace a broken one within Alberia’s city walls,” Euden replied, “What I’m wondering is that if the Sacred Shard is here, why are there so many fiends out and about?”

“Your Highness, the bout of fiends we fought earlier were likely conjured by that mage. Look around you,” I gestured around ourselves with my spear. Nothing but empty woods with a few woodland creatures skittering around in the morning daylight, “Nothing but the still twilight of nature”

“I suppose you’re right,” Euden bit his lip, “Still, it’s possible the shard’s power is fading due to age. The mage wouldn’t be able to summon so much fiends if the shard’s power held true”

“Father DID tell me that the power of the shards were gradually weakening,” Zethia spoke up, “Sorry to interrupt you two, but I felt like I needed to tell you. After Father sent you on your quest, he went to the Binding Ruins to seek out new shards on his own”

“Father went to the Binding Ruins?!,” Euden gasped in shock, “But nobody has stepped foot there for over a millennia. Why didn’t you try to stop him, Zethia?”

“I did!,” Zethia pouted, “But despite my warning, he said that with his power, he can overcome the Binding Ruin’s challenges. And I trust Father’s strength”

“Fair. But still…,” Euden frowned before turning back ahead of him, “Let’s worry about what’s in front of us first. Where would the Mistholt be in a forest this huge…?”

“Perhaps some of the people living nearby could provide some help,” Zethia suggested, “Where there are dragons, there are legends and ballads. It could be they know a song or two about the Mistholt”

“Wait, you two. Someone’s coming” Notte warned and we stopped for a pair of people crossing onto our path. One of them was yet another blonde girl with a long ponytail, sporting a blue battle uniform of a Paladyn. In her hands was an azure blue lance and distinctly, she had a white rabbit-like puffball attached to the back of her outfit. Her emissary was much less colourful, wearing a blue and black hood and cloak that concealed their face. I could only spy specks of blonde hair (again) coming out of their hood as they clutched a jagged knife in their hands.

“Will you PLEASE listen? I have no quarrel with you!” The Paladyn cried, panting. Her grip on her lance was loosening and the assassin began to move in to strike.

“I care not,” The assassin replied. Her voice was female, yet flat. What was with Alberia and it’s blonde girls? Or blonde people in general?, “Now hold still and prepare to die”

The assassin drove her knife down onto the Paladin’s stomach, but she cleanly sidestepped, not bothering to counterattack.

“Ugh. I have to stay alive,” The Paladyn replied, gritting her teeth, “I HAVE to! Why can’t you understand?!”

“Silence!,” The assassin cried, “The condemned have no voice with which to speak!”

She took another swift stab at the Paladyn, but the lancer darted backwards and made her escape through the forest. The assassin barely noticed us and took off in a run, pursuing her prey.

“Aaannnd… there they go” Notte noted, mildly shocked.

“Did you see that crest? She’s a Paladyn, a holy knight of the Church of Ilia,” Zethia peered to where the Paladyn and assassin ran off to, “What is she doing all the way out here?”

I was just as surprised as the Auspex was. Paladyns were the elite fighting order of the Church who guarded mainly the clergy and high nobles of power in Alberia. They were tiers way above standard grunts and soldiers like I was. What was one doing alone out here in the forest and being chased by an assassin of all people?

“I don’t know, but she clearly needs our help,” Euden drew his sword, “Come on, everyone! After them!”

So much for finding where the Mistholt was. Following Euden’s lead, we charged to where the Paladyn and assassin escaped off to. More fiends appeared to stop us, disapproving of my idea that fiends were not indeed back. However, they were nothing like the ones the masked girl spawned and nowhere near the same in numbers. We dispatched them with ease and moved on.

“Blazing Circlet!” Euden cried and spun in a fiery whirlwind of devastation, easily cleaving through the remaining fiends around us. Just up ahead were the two girls again, dueling with one another.

“Hah!” The assassin leaped, throwing a knife directly at the Paladyn’s neck. Swiftly, the lancer rose her gauntlet to her head and deflected the dagger before bashing the shaft of her spear into the assassin’s stomach, making her tumble to the ground, “Ughh…”

We ran onto the scene, weapons drawn and the assassin got to her feet, holding her abdomen in pain.

“Tsk! This is more than I bargained for,” The assassin looked between us and the Paladyn, who looked at the rogue with strangely pleading eyes, “But I’ll be back. Remember that!’

And with that, the assassin dashed off into the shadows of the trees, disappearing from view quickly. The Paladyn turned to us and wiped the sweat off her forehead with a grateful look on her face.

“Phew. Glad we arrived in time,” Zethia smiled as she approached the holy knight, “What is your name, Paladyn?”

“Elisanne. And you are the maiden Zethia, are you not?” The Paladyn inquired, scanning the rest of us with her eyes.

“You know of me?”

“You are the Ilian Auspex and a member of the royal family, my lady,” Elisanne answered politely. I silently snickered myself. The Auspex didn’t know of her own fame somehow, “So yes, of course I know of you. What Paladyn wouldn't?”

“You're an impressive sight, Elisanne,” Euden complimented, “Only a handful of the Church's knights are strong enough to become Paladyns”

“Wait a sec. If you kick so much butt, they why'd that chump give you so much trouble earlier?” Notte asked, glancing at Elisanne’s spear, “You have a weapon right there in your hands! Why didn’t you fight back?”

“Forgive me, but I’d rather not discuss the matter,” Elisanne shook her head, looking away from us and to where the assassin escaped, “Especially you, Auspex Zethia. No offense”

“Very well. I respect your decision,” Zethia smiled kindly and held out her staff, “At least let me heal your wounds”

A soft green light pulsed out of Zethia’s staff and washed over Elisanne’s body, healing the scratches, scrapes and gashes that plagued it instantly. The Paladyn looked over herself in awe, twisting her limbs with no problem.

“By Ilia… they healed instantly!” Elisanne marvelled, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the Auspex is a master at healing magic”

“I have to be good at something” Zethia shrugged and at that moment, I lost interest in the conversation and moved away to do something else. Not like the trio of blondes would notice me away anyways.

“What’s up ahead of us…?” I murmured as I pulled a map free from under my clothes. Unrolling the paper, I traced my finger on our assumed location and moved it to a small town up ahead. The town of Rovetelle.

“Someone there might know where the Mistholt is. Let’s worm out some information” I closed the map up and began to trudge towards the town on my own. The Auspex and the prince had a Paladyn protector now, so I didn’t feel needed. Plus, I didn’t want it to be on my hands if they suddenly got killed. That would get me fired, captured and executed, hopefully in that order. I quickened my pace towards Rovetelle on that thought. The quicker Euden got his pactstone and retrieved the shard, the quicker I was dismissed and could move on to something else. I didn’t want to be stuck with these reckless blonde heads.

“Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to know where the Mistholt is?”

“That mist-laden wood? Not sure there, buddy. The road is said to be treacherous and easy to get lost in, so nobody here has tried”

“I see. Thank you for your time”

I moved towards an old lady knitting on her porch. She looked wiser than the young men walking through the streets. Perhaps she knows something I could use.

“Pardon me, ma’am. Do you know how to get to the Mistholt?”

“Them Mistholt?! Where did you get that, son? From a fairy tale book?” Oh great, she was senile.

“No ma’am. The Mistholt like the mist-laden wood outside of this town,” I tried again, but the elder acted like she didn’t hear me, focusing entirely on her knitting, “... Ma’am?”

“What?!”

“Nevermind,” I sighed and walked away. As I turned my back from the old lady, I heard her grumble under her breath.

“Damn young’uns today asking the wrong people. If you want some world knowledge, go ask a burly old adventurer. Now leave me alone!”

That’s it! The local pub or adventurer’s guild would be an excellent place to find the info I needed. I went over to the nearest bar, noticing a tall, tanned mercenary holding an imposing axe standing in front of the establishment. He seemed to be in conflict whether to go inside or not.

“Excuse me, sir? Might I inquire you about something?” I tapped the merc’s shoulder and he turned to face me, his eyes glazing over instantly from my look.

“An Alberian knight? What are you doing all the way out here in the countryside?” The man gestured around himself, “This backwater town seems unfamiliar to you noble ilk within the city walls. Ha ha ha!”

I grit my teeth “I’m no noble, thank you very much. I’m just a common grunt. Now answer my question”

“Fine. Whataya want to know?” The mercenary grinned. This knight was probably going to ask where his lord was. He’d be happy to direct the soldier into the pub, where a little organized chaos could be had. People like him rarely came around and it was fun teasing them into having a good time outside of their luxury homes.

“I’m looking for the Mistholt. In particular, the wood where the Windwyrm lives” I told the mercenary and his mouth went agap with shock. This is what he asking for?

“So… were you sent by your lord to capture this Windwyrm or something?” The mercenary slapped me on the back, “C’mon, you don’t need to be a slave to that old jackass. You’re free now! Be a mercenary and just do what you’d like”

“I’d prefer to have a job that keep the pay steady,” I growled, pushing him off, “And no, I’m not here to capture Midgardsormr. I came here on my own accord to seek info on where the Mistholt is. Now do you know or not?”

“Mmm, I can say that I spotted a dragon in the forest ahead before. I can probably guide you there,” The mercenary stroked his chin, “But I still don’t know what your lord wants with the dragon”

“My lord is Prince Euden of Alberia,” I answered flatly, “He wants to form a pact with the Windwyrm”

Instantly, the mercenary doubled over, howling with laughter. The laughter attracted attention and before I noticed, Euden and his entourage were by my side.

“Adrian, there you are!” Euden grinned, “What are you doing here?”

“I think he found our mercenary who knows where the Mistholt is. Ranzal, was it?” Zethia frowned as the mercenary got up, wiping the tears of laughter out of his eyes.

“Ughh ah ha ha… Seriously? He wants to form a pact with the Windwyrm?” Ranzal asked again and i nodded. I pointed to the prince beside me and Ranzal burst into laughter again.

“What’s so funny?!” Elisanne demanded and Ranzal’s laughter seized, although a smirk was hidden behind his face.

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just that this guy’s a little whelp! No way is he strong enough to pass the Dragon’s Choosing,” Ranzal noogied Euden’s head a bit before drawing his hand back, “Bet he’s going to say that he wants to “save the kingdom” too!”

Euden’s speechlessness gave Ranzal the answer he needed “Yep! He’s just like that son of a fiend Prince Emile. You know, the one who BOUGHT his Dragon’s Choosing and can’t lead a squadron to save his life. What do you got, punk?”

“Hold your tongue, cur! Insult the prince one more time and I’ll-”

“Whoa, easy there lady. Hold the lance at bay,” Ranzal held up his hands to placate Elisanne’s rage, “I’m just saying that it’s a little hard to help this guy if he can’t prove himself. Prince Emile proved himself a coward. What’s to say that Euden isn’t the same and can’t lead Alberia? Please! I can’t guide him to the Mistholt if the dragon won’t even choose him!”

“This is to save the kingdom!” Zethia insisted, “The sacred shard’s power is fading and fiends will overrun this land soon. If you could just give my brother a chan-”

“Go home. I’m not entertaining this nonsense” Ranzal crossed his arms, glaring at us.

“Grr, what do you know, you meathead?!” Notte cried, balling her hands into fists. Ranzal uncrossed his arms and flicked his finger towards the fairy, flinching her “Aah! Cheap move, ya chump!”

“Ah ha! So you think you have guts after all?” Ranzal grinned and picked up his axe, “Go on and prove it. I'll be waiting for you in the forest. Take me down, and maybe I'll help”

“We’re not afraid of a little hard work,” Euden stared hard at Ranzal with a determined look, “We’ll gladly prove ourselves to you. We’ll prove ourselves worthy of the Windwyrm’s power!”

“Ha ha! Alright then!” Ranzal trekked down into the forest, axe in hand, “Don’t let your goons do all the work and maybe I’ll consider you better than your cowardly brother!”

As Ranzal departed, Elisanne steamed with anger.

“Your Highness, did you hear what he said about you and your brother?!” The Paladyn growled, clutching her lance tightly, “I swear the moment I lay my hands on him is the moment he regrets insulting the Alberian royalty!”

“Relax, Elisanne. What Ranzal said IS partially true,” A flash of bitterness crossed over Euden’s face, “My brother tricked Mercury into forming a pact with him and I haven’t done much myself beyond train with Leif. I need to prove myself and make myself known in this world. I need to do it with my own power”

“Then lead the way and show that brute what we’re capable of!” Notte cheered and Euden nodded firmly.

“Right. Follow me, everyone!”

We made our way into the forest again and I was really starting to get tired of fighting in this place. Small bouts of fiends appeared, but with our superior numbers, they meant nothing to us. Occasionally, the fiends would drop rubies, the currency of Alberia, random bits of junk and rusted weapons. Nothing very noteworthy.

“I heard someone’s wyrmprint charm got stolen today,” Elisanne noted, scanning the area around herself for threats, “Perhaps one of these fiends stole it”

“Did you memorize who it belongs to?” I asked the Paladyn and she shook her head, “Finder’s keepers then”

“We can’t just take a holy relic like that for ourselves!”

“Hey, they were stupid enough to get themselves robbed by fiends like this,” I stabbed another goblin through the chest, ending it’s life, “It’s better in our hands”

“Why you-”

“Hey, there’s a treasure chest over here!” Euden called. We made our way over to him and Zethia and he cracked open the box with his sword. Inside the dirty and dusty crate laid a card-like charm laced with metal links like a necklace or bracelet. A Wyrmprint.

“This must be it,” I pulled the wyrmprint out of the box and examined it. On the back of the mystical card was the words “Mana Fount” and it’s listed “effect”, which was a slight boost to skill damage. I assumed skills were stuff like Euden’s Blazing Circlet. Turning it over to the front, I saw an illustration of a waterfall bathing an orange, glowing crystal in it’s cascade. A dazzling piece of artwork for sure, “Here, Prince Euden. You can make the best of this”

“How does it work?” Euden asked as he secured the wyrmprint over his bicep like an armguard.

“Wyrmprints are created from special moments in time or someone’s life. Their power is determined by how strong the emotion moment was when it was created” Zethia pointed to a necklace that I didn’t notice before. Laced to it was a wyrmprint surrounded by a gold border, depicting the Auspex kneeling on the ground in prayer. A little egotistical to have a picture of yourself around your neck.

“Auspex’s Prayer. Created when I prayed for your continued success and safety in your mission, as well as Father’s,” Zethis touched the wyrmprint lightly, “Their power manifests as long as it’s in contact with it’s user in some way. As for mine, it increases my healing output and protects me from curses”

“No wonder your healing was so potent…,” Elisanne realized, “Not only because you were the Auspex, but because you had a specialized wyrmprint aiding you too…”

“Anything to help me assist my family more” Zethia smiled.

“If we’re done with gushing over the Auspex’s self portrait, can we get moving?” I huffed irritably. These blondes were driving me nuts, “No man like Ranzal is patient to wait for a fight”

“Of course, Adrian. Come on, everyone!” Euden called and we followed him deeper into the afternoon forest. Elisanne, despite her brash and rather zealot nature thus far, proved to be a superior fighter unsurprisingly. She was a whirlwind with her jabs, stabs and thrusts with her spear and watching her was like a graceful dance of blades. A befitting grace for a Paladyn.

“Euden and Adrian, take down those lines of fiends. I have this one covered!” Elisanne pointed her lance at us, “Brave Bastion!”  
A brief orange pulsed brimmed from her spear and enveloped us in faint light. As I thrust and stabbed with my own spear, I felt it augmented with Elisanne’s power. It was like I dealt double the damage for a single thrust. Euden performed similarly and we dispatched the band of fiends in half the time. Meanwhile, Elisanne was facing down a pack of her own.

“Skreee!” A goblin fiend whacked his club towards Elisanne’s side, but she deflected it with her spear shaft and knocked the fiend away. The others took the cue to charge, but Elisanne began pulsing with light blue energy.

“Don’t mess with a Paladyn! Hallowed Waters!” Elisanne leaped into the air and moon-dropped the surprised pack of monsters with all the strength in her lance. The moment the weapon struck the ground, it erupted in a spire of clear water that tore the fiends asunder. In an instant, they were gone.

“Aaaaamazing…! Girl, you are a machine!” Notte cheered as Elisanne grinned with pride, turning back to the awed Euden, “We were lucky to find this one Euden! She’s incredible!”

“This is hardly anything to boast about as a Paladyn,” Elisanne said modestly with a slight blush from Notte’s compliments, “Others are capable of much more”

“Still, if you can lend me that power boost again, I can take on Ranzal myself,” Euden grinned and Elisanne nodded in understanding, “He should be nearby now”

“That he is. Look” Right on cue, Ranzal walked onto the scene, clapping.

“Well, well, well, you whelps actually came. I’m surprised,” Ranzal heaved his hefty axe over his shoulder easily “So Prince Euden, you think you’re worthy of the Windwyrm’s pact and leading Alberia? Or will you run with your tail between your legs like that Emile?”

“I am not my brother. Do not compare me to him,” Euden pointed his sword at Ranzal, which was still slightly glowing from Elisanne’s Brave Bastion, “And do not insult my family either”

“Cool and focused. I like that,” Ranzal laughed, bringing his axe down in front of him “Let’s see if your sword arm says more than your words. Come at me!”

Euden dashed towards Ranzal and the mercenary did the same. The two of them clashed weapons in the center of the forest clearing, Alberian knight sword to worn mercenary axe. Euden broke away first and tried to slash at Ranzal’s waist, but the mercenary darted back and brought his axe down on a wide arc, intent to cut open Euden’s shoulder.

“Aah!” The prince narrowly tumbled to the ground to dodge, grasping his sword tightly. Ranzal pulled his axe free from the ground, completely unfazed.

“Is that all you got? Come on!” Ranzal charged at Euden again and the prince skittered backwards to dodge, holding up his blade in a pale attempt to defend himself, “Tornado Bash!”

Ranzal spun himself in a circle, his axe outstretched. The sheer force of the blow knocked Euden backwards, but his blade deflected the most lethal of the strike. However, the skill wasn’t finished yet. A small whirlwind erupted from Ranzal’s axe and flew towards Euden.

“Prince Euden, get out of the way!” Elisanne cried from the sidelines.

“You can do this! Don’t give up!” Notte yelled.

“This won’t stop me! Blazing Circlet!” Euden’s sword burned ablaze and he spun in a radiant red whirlwind that dispelled Ranzal’s whirlwind and got a blast of flame towards the mercenary.

“Ah ha! Storm Wall!” Ranzal threw his hand in front of him, conjuring a wind-laden shield that protected him from the brunt of the blow. However, in the dust of the attack, he didn’t see Euden charging straight towards him.

“I WILL get the Windwyrm’s power and prove myself worthy to Alberia!” Euden leaped into the air, sparking his sword ablaze again, “EXALTED FIRE!”

Slashing his sword downward in a mighty arc, an incredible crescent of flame rocketed from Euden’s sword, blasting Ranzal’s shield to shreds and sending him flying towards a tree, smacking against it hard.

“Ouch… good job there, kid. You have more guts than I expected,” Ranzal got up from the ground, wincing. Steam curled off the edges of his armor and skin, but he didn’t look too hurt. Storm Wall must have stopped him from getting completely burnt to a crisp, “Not many can pull off elemental skills like that, especially two different ones”

“I had training from the best of the best” Euden replied with a hint of pride, although he was as exhausted as Ranzal was. Even more so actually, considering his posture. The worn prince’s blade dropped to the ground as Euden rested his arms on his legs, panting.

“Ha! A good teacher is never as good as the battlefield for experience. But a deal’s a deal,” Ranzal grinned, picking up his fallen axe, “I’ll take you to the Mistholt. I can follow a man who fights like you do!”

“T-thanks…” Euden wheezed before getting up, sheathing his sword, “Come on everybody, the Mistholt awaits”

“He was holding back,” I told Euden once Ranzal was out of earshot, “He actively avoided striking you in the head or heart when he could’ve easily done so. Even with his skills, he didn’t try to kill you”

“I noticed that too. With Tornado Bash, Ranzal targeted your blade instead of your exposed sides. I wonder… did he believe in you from the beginning?” Elisanne wondered aloud, “Makes me less furious about his lecherous comments earlier”

“Ranzal is a person different from us, but he’s a good person. I can tell,” Euden smiled lightly, “He wanted to put me on the test to prove that I was worthy of this dragonpact, not only for himself, but for me as well. Truthfully, I didn’t know if I was ready to accept Midgardsormr’s power until now”

“You sure could of fooled me, given your recent shows of supernatural strength,” I noted “Blazing Circlet to your wind spiral and now Exalted Fire. It’s only been a day and now you can toil with the best of Alberia’s soldiers”

“There is still work to be had. I hardly have the experience and training that normal soldiers do,” Euden shook his head, “It’s like Ranzal said: the battlefield is the best teacher”

“Pray that it doesn’t come to that. A prince taking an active role in a battlefield is… unbecoming,” Elisanne frowned, “Leave such affairs to soldiers like Adrian”

Before Euden could reply, Ranzal slid right next to our group, slowing down so we all moved together “So Prince, I’d like to know somethin. Why are you out here looking for the shard by yerself? You have six older siblings, don’t you? Why not just stay in the castle and wait for one of them to get off their royal duff? This ain’t your fight”

“My older brothers and sister have lands and people to defend. They can’t simply get up and abandon them,” Euden answered simply, “Additionally, I myself want to find the shard. Everyone back at the royal city is counting on us to keep them safe. For the first time in my life, attempting the Dragon Choosing is the right thing to do, for me and for my kingdom”

“Ha, good answer. I hope you know that it’s a lot easier to SAY you’ll keep people safe than to actually do it” Ranzal grinned.

“He can do it! My brother will do all in his power to make Alberia a peaceful land where everyone prospers!” Zethia piped up and I slapped my forehead. What a naive and idealistic thought. It’s impossible to make everyone happy in a village, much less a whole kingdom. A ruler could be the most benevolent and kind in the world and there will still be people around who were upset, poor or a combination of other factors. Euden won’t suddenly usher a golden age of peace. Nobody could. Ranzal seemed to have caught onto that thought as well.

“Well, ain't that a dreamy thought!” Ranzal laughed heartily and Elisanne glared at him, “Might wanna scale those expectations down a tick there, kid”

“It's not dream. I told Zethia and Notte that I would do it, and now I'm telling you the same” Euden said in an all too serious tone and both me and Ranzal sighed in exasperation.

“One day, you’ll learn. One day” Ranzal muttered.

“I know this all sounds like a flight of fancy... but His Highness has a certain zeal and conviction that makes me want to believe it all the same,” Elisanne piped up, “I for one believe in his dream”

“Oh please stop stroking Prince Euden’s ego already. It’s ridiculous,” I sighed and shook my head, “Anyways Ranzal, how far is it to the Mistholt from here?”

“Not far. We’ll know once the area around us gets bathed in mist. That’s why it’s called the Mistholt after all,” Ranzal replied, forging ahead of us, “Still, I want to say again that we’re walking into a dragon’s lair. The odds of yer crew gettin' ripped into tiny little pieces ain't low. Keep that in mind”

“We’re not afraid of it. Midgardsormr himself bade us to find him here,” Euden said with determination, “Nothing will keep us away from this pact”

“Well, you’re determined in your goal at least. That’s good,” Ranzal shrugged and shouldered his axe, “Follow along kiddos and don’t get lost. We’ve got a dragonpact to seal!”

_Our team:_

**\- Euden, Dragonblood Prince - Fire sword. Level 4**

Equipment: Knight’s Grace (Weapon) and Mana Fount (Wyrmprint)

Skills: Blazing Circlet and Exalted Fire

**\- Adrian, Yearning Freedom - Shadow lance. Level 3**

Equipment: Battleworn Lance

**\- Zethia, Holy Auspex - Light staff. Level 10**

Equipment: Astrolabe (Weapon) and Auspex's Prayer (Wyrmprint)

Skills: Auspex's Repose, Holy Heart and Astro's Protection

**\- Elisanne, Anointed Lance - Water lance. Level 8**

Equipment: Azure Jewel (Weapon)

Skills: Brave Bastion, Hallowed Waters and Azure Whirlwind

**\- Ranzal, Arc in the Storm - Wind axe. Level 8**

Equipment: Warrior’s Axe (Weapon) and Together We Stand (Wyrmprint)

Skills: Tornado Bash and Storm Wall


	3. To Become Alberius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the battleworn mercenary Ranzal on Euden's side, the group presses onward into the Mistholt, getting closer and closer to their destination. In their way however stands a foe greater than any of them have ever faced, testing their limits and Euden's resolve to become a true king. Just like his ancestor before him...

"Hey Euden", Notte floated up to the prince's face. We were still traversing the rather flat forest and saw the mist binding the trees up ahead. Conversation has ceased between us as our destination grew closer, "I forgot to tell you this, but I told ya Midgard would be a big awesome dragon!"

"Yeah, you were right, Notte. It was wishful thinking of me for him to be a small, cuddly drake", Euden admitted embarrassingly, "It's just that for my first dragon, I wanted one just like our plush toys back in the castle. They're adorable!"

"They're cute for sure, but this is the Windwyrm we're talking about," Zethia reminded her brother before clasping her hands together, "When I envisioned the mighty dragon, I thought of a mystical looking beast, surrounded by magnificent crystals. Turns out he's a little more rough on the edges"

"A little rough on the edges? He's almost exactly how I thought he would be!" Notte cried "Big, tall, imposing and awesome! Like a real dragon from those fairy tales!"

"You people have such wild imaginations," Ranzal flashed a light smile before looking up ahead, "Anyways, the dragon's den is not too far from us now. Watch your step and watch for fiends. Golems in particular roam this area. Seems like the Windwyrm likes having them around"

"Golems, huh? Their weakness is their core right by their waist, so it shouldn't be hard to dispatch them," I shook my head before turning to Zethia, "By the way, Auspex. I'd like to know something before we enter the Windwyrm's den"

"What is it, Adrian?"

"The Sacred Shards. What are they exactly?"

"Well… you already know that the Sacred Shards were made to stop fiends from crossing over to our world and wrecking havoc. To defend the world from the threat, the shards were placed all over the kingdom as a means of defense" Zethia began "Aside from warding off fiends, they suppress dark mana, energy that corrupts all life"

"Wait, did I hear that the shards STOP fiends?!" Ranzal jerked his head towards the Auspex, "That's fantastic! So if I strap one onto my chest, I can wade into a pack of those dirty dastards scot free. I'll take three!"

"That's not how they work, Ranzal!" Elisanne scowled "Only someone who is pactbound with a dragon can transport the Shards. That's why His Highness is forming his pact with the Windwyrm"

"Why? They're just shards charged with holy magic, right? What makes them so special?"

"Because the Shards shouldn't be moved," Zethia answered politely, "They're situated in the kingdom's most defiled regions. In order to make sure they aren't moved, the man who gave the world the Shards placed the pact requirement on them"

"Huh. And who was this fellow anyways?" Ranzal asked, scratching his head.

"Alberius. Alberius the Founder," Euden got a wistful look in his eyes, "Our initial king, the royal family's ancestor, and the first of his line to forge a dragonpact. He was a legend"

"Alberius the Founder?! I thought he was just some fairy tale hero!" Ranzal's jaw dropped with shock, "Is the saga really all true then?"

"Every word of the legend is true. Zethia knows the whole story" Euden turned to his sister and she nodded, taking over.

"To fix the broken world around him, Alberius shattered a possession of the Ilian Church and created the Shards," Zethia continued, "He then placed them across the land and made it so only those capable of forming dragonpacts, his descendants, could move them"

"Gutsy king. With the power the shards held, no wonder he didn't want people touching them," Ranzal nodded in understanding, "Okay, last question. You said the Shards are pieces of one'a the Church's possessions, yeah? What possession was that? A crystal? Some kinda bottle?"

"You know anything about it, Elisanne? Sounds like it would be right up your alley" I asked the Paladyn, but she was surprisingly stumped. Zethia looked similarly confused, pausing to answer Ranzal's inquiry.

"All I was told was that the Shards came from a divine armament that has ties to the goddess Ilia herself," The Auspex answered carefully, "Whoever wielded this armament held the power to conquer the entire continent in the blink of an eye"

"Seriously?! If it was so powerful, then why didn't Alberius use it himself?" Ranzal exclaimed, "He could of wiped out every last fiend in the world with that!"

"If he had all the time in the world, he might have done just that," Euden shook his head, "But no one lives forever"

"Ah, I gotcha. He knew the fiends would be back once he was in the dirt"

"Yes. He was thinking of Alberia's future," Zethia agreed, "Shattering the armament and binding it to the land was his people's best hope. His choices protect us to this very day"

"Mm, selfless fellow. I could see why he became a legend," Ranzal nodded before jerking his head to the side, noticing something lurking in the trees, "Hold on a moment, kids. Something's here"

"Something like what…?" Elisanne asked before heavy footfalls shook the earth around us, "Whoa!"

"Golems! Get back, everyone!" Ranzal called and we all scrambled backwards as two massive stone golems with red eyes beaming through their sockets fell onto our path, roaring in a low rumble from inside themselves, "Damn! Looks like the Windwyrm sent some company. I'm on defense! You guys focus on killing them"

"Aim for the core. That's their weak spot!" I cried before the golems curled into themselves "Scatter! They're about to roll!"

Everyone jumped out of the way just as the golems rolled towards us, rumbling the ground as they went. Elisanne leaped down from her spot and ran towards the golems from behind, aiming her lance towards their spherical cores. The golems turned and swung their gigantic rocky arms, swatting Elisanne's weapon away. The two fiends followed up with an overhead swing, but the Paladyn was already out of reach.

"It's hard to penetrate their defense one-on-one. We'll need to distract it from multiple angles to open their guard," Elisanne analyzed before turning to the rest of us. The golems curled into themselves, preparing to roll again, "After the golems roll, us melee fighters will fight the golems together while Auspex Zethia peppers them with light magic. That should swiftly take them down!"

"Alright, sounds good. Everyone go!" I called and leaped out of the way as the golems flattened the forest path, rolling back to where they were originally. We took that opportunity to all fly onto the fiends, attacking it from all directions. Ranzal and Euden took the front, slashing and defending against the heavy golems. Euden's sword sparked fire occasionally and helped repel the golems away. Me and Elisanne took opposite sides of the fiends, diving behind them to lunge at their core. However, both golems backhanded their fists onto us and smacked us away. Elisanne landed on the ground with a bloody nose while I had a painful bruise on my cheek.

"Elisanne! Are you alright?!"

"Focus, Your Highness! Their guard is open!" The Paladyn yelled and on cue, Ranzal slew one of the golems with a cleave of his axe. Euden lost his opportunity calling out for Elisanne, but Zethia's shower of radiant light magic brought the beast down. Me and the Paladyn staggered back to the group, injured.

"Auspex's Repose!" Zethia called before any of us could even speak, washing both of us in soft green light. Instantly, the bruise on my cheek vanished and so did the stream of blood running down Elisanne's nose. All that remained was the dried stains over her clothes.

"Ah, thank you," Elisanne bowed to the Auspex, who smiled warmly in response, "Now that that's taken care of, let us proceed. The Windwyrm's home should be right up ahead. Is that right, Ranzal?"

"Right you are. The golems must of been a security test" The mercenary nodded, shouldering his axe. We continued down the forest path again and I leaned in towards Euden, who was looking ahead with a look of determination and nervousness.

"Nervous, Your Highness?" I asked and the Prince nodded lightly, "Well, there's no turning back from here. Before we meet Midgardsormr though, I want to ask you something"

"Ask away, Adrian"

"Do you know of the Alberian force strike? Specifically, the sword version," I drew my own sword from my scabbard. It was customary to have both a lance and sword as a soldier, as fighting with a spear inside tight interiors was cumbersome. My blade was nothing to Euden's Knight's Grace however. Just a simple Soldier's Brand, "The technique is useful for cutting past enemy defense with the sheer power of your strike. Captain Leif should of taught you it"

"The Force Strike… Ah, right! I remember it," Euden stepped off the path for a second, drawing his own sword, "Leif told me that you can augment the strike with elemental power for greater damage. Maybe I can…"

Euden's sword went beside him as he tensed his right arm, focusing. Suddenly, he lunged forward and brought all the power of his weapon and dash into a single wide slash, cleaving a line of grass in twain. However, no sparks of flame flew.

"Hm. It's imperfect, but you have the stance and strike right. It'll still serve it's intended purpose," I scratched my chin thoughtfully, "Work on trying to execute it more quickly though. For swordsmen, Captain Leif encourages a sequence of two strikes followed by a force strike for optimal offense against a foe. Such a combo needs a fast force strike or less it won't work"

"I got it. Thanks for reminding me, Adrian!" Euden grinned before sheathing his sword, "Hey… where are the others…?"

"What's the hold up, you two?! We found the Windwyrm's den!" We heard Notte and Ranzal yell from up ahead. Both of us ran to catch up just as they passed through the ancient stone doors and into a circular sanctum almost like an arena. Trees, vegetation and plant life bloomed all over the place, the building gradually being consumed by the earth.

"Well, here we are. Where's Midgardsormr?" Euden opened his hand, summoning the light green pactstone that he obtained yesterday. Suddenly, it glowed and vanished as a loud roar pierced through the air. The same roar that we heard when Euden shapeshifted into the Windwyrm.

" **Welcome, Prince Euden of Alberia. I see that you have accepted my request to find me here!** " The dragon's voice echoed within itself as the mystical green wyrm flew down from the ceiling, landing on the ground right in front of us. His voice was booming, commanding and regal all at once. It was impossible to ignore, " **Now then, do you truly intend to form a pact with me?** "

"I do!" Euden stepped up bravely, looking Midgardsormr in the eye, "I have come to claim the Sacred Shard and my place on the throne to protect Alberia. I swear on the dragonblood in my veins that I'll become a strong, wise and beloved ruler by my people. Just like King Alberius ages ago!"

" **So you intend to emulate the Founder, do you? To find his qualities in you would take time** ," Midgardsormr spread his giant wings wide, " **But one will only take one test: his strength. Battle against me, child of man. Prove that your feeble flesh can handle a dragon's supreme might!"**

Instantly, Midgardsormr rose into the air, flapping his wings as if he was preparing an attack. A strong gust of wind blew and pushed us backwards.

"Scatter! Get around and stick to his sides or behind! Auspex and Notte, stick with me!" Elisanne cried and ran towards Midgardsormr's right with Euden while me and Ranzal took left.

" **Trident Tempest!** " Midgardsormr cried and three tornadoes blasted from his wings, miraculously not obliterating the stone wall behind us. Upon contact, the tornadoes exploded into violent bursts of wind. Despite that, we still continued our assault. Elisanne jabbed at Midgardsormr's leg while Euden hacked at his tail and backside with his sword. Ranzal slammed his axe with great force over the dragon's other leg, but Midgardsormr's skin was like steel.

" **Enough of this!** " The Windwyrm spun around in a circle, slamming his tail into Ranzal's face and knocking him down. The tail also clipped Elisanne in the shoulder and sent her sprawling. Only me, Euden and Zethia evaded the blow.

"Auspex, heal Elisanne! I'll get Ranzal out of danger for now!" I yelled, pulling the hazy mercenary away from the dragon, "Euden, keep his attention. I'll be back to assist!"

"Right! Hah!" Euden's sword whirled and swiped, carving cuts and gashes onto Midgardsormr's stomach. The Windwyrm responded by spitting a sphere of gales, but Euden rolled out of the way in time. Once the sphere hit the ground, it erupted in a small tornado, "Blazing Circlet!"

The prince's cyclone of flame slammed into Midgardsormr's thigh, leaving lingering traces of flame that winced the dragon. Midgardsormr countered with a swift headbutt, sending Euden to the ground, but the prince rose and continued going quickly. His innate fire spirit seemed to give him an edge over the wind attuned dragon.

"Auspex's Repose!" Zethia called from faraway, revitalizing Euden. Elisanne was already up and attacking Midgardsormr from behind, so I beckoned the Auspex to come and heal Ranzal. Then I joined back into the fray.

"Hiyah!" I stabbed my spear into the dragon's leg, but the scales were too hard to penetrate. Euden had his attention on the front, so I decided I had time to try something, "The stance went like…?"

I concentrated, anchoring myself to the ground as I drew my spear behind me, preparing my own force strike. My arm shook, but I grasped the lance tight before I leapt forward.

"Take this!" I cried and drove the weapon into Midgardsormr's leg before pulling back and stabbing it another three times for good measure. This time, the strikes made actual punctures, "That's it! Euden and Elisanne, use force strikes!"

"Brave Bastion!" Elisanne blessed Euden with strength before nodding to my command, thrusting forward in a drill rush onto Midgardsormr's other leg. The prince force struck onto the dragon's stomach, delivering a lethal blow that actually staggered Midgardsormr, "There's our chance to strike! Don't let up now!"

"Blazing Circlet!" Euden blasted a shockwave of flame from his sword and sent Midgardsormr crashing against the wall with a growl. Ranzal and Elisanne joined in with their own skills, decimating the Windwyrm.

" **Grr… It's not done yet. I shall rend you asunder!** " Midgardsormr rose into the air again " **GRAND TEMPEST!** "

"Get away!" Elisanne yelled and all of us scattered away as eight tornadoes rocketed out of Midgardsormr's wings in all directions. Euden however, stayed put, "Your Highness, get over here!"

"One, two… NOW!" Euden's sword burned ablaze again as he leaped into the air, evading the incoming whirlwind somehow, "EXALTED FIRE!"

" **GARAAAHHHGHH!** " The Windwyrm roared in agony as the fiery wave struck him, drawing a massive line of burnt flesh across his chest. Midgardsormr breathed once before collapsing onto the ground, soundly defeated, " **Well… done…** "

"Lord Windwyrm, it'll be alright! I'll heal you" Zethia approached the fallen dragon, but he shook his head, rising from the ground.

" **Be at ease. Us Greatwyrms can regenerate quickly** " Midgardsormr closed his eyes and a miniature whirlwind swirled around him briefly, washing the dragon in healing magic. Instantly, all of the Windwyrm's wounds were gone, " **Ha ha ha! What a thrill that was. The dragonblood runs strong within you, man child** "

"I take strength from my friends, not my blood," Euden gestured to the others, particularly Elisanne and Zethia, "You should remember that, dragon"

" **Hm… True. Very true. A king's power is oft found lurking behind the throne** " The Windwyrm rose to full height, towering over the rest of us, " **And you do have the makings of a king, for you have been tested and found worthy!** "

"Does that mean… you'll form a pact with me?" Euden asked, lowering his sword and Midgardsormr nodded.

" **Euden... My king. I hereby cede all of my power to you and your chosen. I am Midgardsormr, lord of maelstroms, master of this land, and the storm that shall keep you from harm!** " Midgardsormr roared, loud and proud. The verdant green pactstone reappeared next to Euden again, except it glowed with a more constant, vibrant light. The entirety of Midgardsormr was in Euden's hands now.

"The prince's "chosen"? Does that mean any of us could potentially shapeshift if His Highness wills it to be so?" Elisanne asked, but the Windwyrm shook his head in denial.

" **I simply mean you can summon me to your aid using the pactstone at any time. Only people who carry dragonblood in their veins can assume a draconic form** ," Midgardsormr replied, gesturing to Euden, " **This applies to other dragons across the land as well** "

"Mm. Disappointing, but it makes sense," I looked between Midgardsormr and Euden, "Although… don't your elements clash against one another? Euden has a fire elemental spirit and Midgardsormr's well… the Windwyrm"

" **Indeed. Me and the prince together don't bode well elementally** ," Midgardsormr confirmed and Euden frowned, slightly miffed, " **However… should he find a dragon attuned to his spirit, his draconic form will be much stronger. The same logic applies to people without dragonblood** "

"Attuned or not, you have a pact now! And with one of the Greatwyrms, no less!" Notte cheered, "Now all we need is that Sacred Shard"

" **The Shard you seek lies deeper in the forest** ," Midgardsormr stated, " **And who better to show the way than a child of the wood? Cleo! Step forward** "

Out of the doors behind the dragon, a short girl with gigantic twintails of purple hair walked towards us, carrying a short rod tipped with a quartz crystal. Her headgear gave her the appearance of tall black ears atop her head and the sound of bells rung through the empty arena. I looked down and saw two bells strapped around her legs, along with another two apart of her headgear.

"Greetings, O Alberian prince and heir to dragonblood. I have been waiting for you," The girl said to Euden. Her voice has an air of sereneness, but also professionalism, "My name is Cleo. I have guarded this land of mist for uncountable years in preparation for this day"

"He called you a child of the wood. I take it you're a sylvan, then?" I saw Euden's eyes trying to discern where Cleo's bunny ears were atop her head to no avail, "And what did you mean when you said you've been "waiting for me"?"

"Exactly that, my prince. You are to be my new master. You are the one who will grant my greatest wish" Cleo replied simply and Euden stepped back in slight shock.

"And… what is that?"

"To see the mists banished. They hang over this forest, clouding both the landscape and my mind," Cleo gestured behind her to the mist laden woods behind her from the doors. I could barely see anything in the fog "I chronicle as much of my memory as I can in words and pictures, but time's cruel flow has washed most of it away. I cannot even remember the face of my previous master"

"So when you said "uncountable years," you meant exactly that," Zethia realized, "As a sylvan, you must of been here for a long time…"

"Yes. But now my wait is over. Together we will banish the mists between past and present. I believe in you," Cleo turned her back on us, walking towards the doors, "Allow me to accompany you deeper into the forest, where you will find what you seek"

"Thank you, Cleo. I can't imagine standing guard over a land for so long, and I'm excited for you to show it to me," Euden said, walking to catch up with the sylvan. Cleo smiled lightly at his tone.

"Hm. It is...strange. I can no longer recall his face or voice, yet I feel certain you have his spirit" Cleo cupped her hand under her chin, examining Euden closely. The prince looked away in slight embarrassment and Cleo smirked.

"Uhm… whose spirit?"

"My former master lost to the mist. Now come, Prince Euden. I'll show you the way" Cleo stated decisively and marched out of the Windwyrm's chambers. Midgardsormr dissolved, turning into glowing green mana that flowed into Euden's pactstone and the rest of us followed the duo into the misty woods.

"I trust you are all prepared? This wood has fiends prowling about, due to the weakening shard," Cleo cautioned, "I can keep you all topped off, but don't be reckless"

"Do you know the way through here?" I asked and the sylvan nodded.

"Of course. I'll guide you through, but do cover me if fiends approach" Cleo took the lead with us following behind her and Zethia in the middle with Notte. The mist was so thick that it was impossible to see five feet in front of me, but Cleo seemed to know where we were going. Luckily, the fiends we encountered along the way were blindsided by the mist as well, so they were easy prey.

"Hey, hold on a sec here!" Notte cried, flying off the beaten path to some stone monument between a pair of trees. It looked like a gravestone, but instead of a flat-sided wedge, it was a longsword like a cross-marker. Over the crossguard were words chiseled in marble.

""In Memory of King Alberius the Founder"" Notte read aloud.

"He was a great leader. Such monuments are erected across the entire kingdom to remember his deeds" Cleo reminisced, gazing upon the marble gravestone with a hidden expression of sorrow. She hid it well however.

"Okay, so I know he founded Alberia, but what else did he do?" Notte asked, fluttering up to Cleo's face and the sylvan sighed.

"Has so much time passed that even faeries don't even remember?" Cleo brought her hand up to her forehead, "King Alberius did a great many things. Most notably, he was able to forge pacts with multiple dragons. You know the Six Greatwyrms, yes?"

"Midgardsormr, Mercury, Brunhilda, Jupiter, Zodiark and uhh… I never remember the sixth one," Euden admitted and Cleo shook her head.

"Understandable. Chthonius is the more elusive of the Greatwyrms, as he doesn't directly control an element in the world," The sylvan shrugged before continuing "In any case, King Alberius led all of them in battle against the Dyrenell Empire"

""Dyrenell"? Seriously? Why didn't they just name themselves "Evildudes" and be done with it? Why such a complicated name?" Notte grumbled, crossing her arms, "Okay, so they're bad guys. Got it. What did they do? Ravage the land and pillage the people?"

"Of course. That's what all evil empires do," Even Cleo sounds exasperated by Dyrenell. How could an empire like that even exist and flourish if they doomed all their citizens to death? People make the country and if there's no people, the kingdom rules naught but hills, "But the people of Dyrenell were also worshippers of demons. And their greatest sin was resurrecting a terrible demon that has haunted this continent since antiquity"

"So they were occult cultists. Creepy…" I mumbled. I tried to dig into my memory from Alberian soldier training about any demons. The Alberia Historia should of had it somewhere, but my mind was hazy.

"They revived a demon?! Oh man, that's never good," Notte shivered and Zethia cradled her gently, soothing her silently while Cleo nodded in agreement.

"It most definitely was not good. But King Alberius fought against that demon with all his might," As the sylvan told the story, her expression turned dark and sorrowful, as if she was in the conflict again, "The war raged for a very long time. But finally, the king managed to bind the demon's power once more. The struggle later became known as the Second War of Binding"

"The Second War? When was the First War of Binding?" Ranzal questioned.

"That is a much older story, one from the age of myth. The First War of Binding was when the goddess Ilia and the sacred dragon Elysium first sealed the demon's power," Cleo replied as we stepped away from the monument and continued moving along, "And then Dyrenell cultists attempted to bring the demon back, but as I said earlier, King Alberius vanquished it"

"It took a goddess AND a dragon to win? Cripes. This is one powerful demon," Notte said with awe, "But that means King Alberius was really powerful too, right? I mean, since he was just a normal mortal guy and all"

"Nothing about him was "normal", but yes," Cleo nodded, "Binding a being of such immense power was an incredible accomplishment. None are quite sure how he did it"

"Hey, maybe the Sacred Shards we're looking for have something to do with it. Maybe it was the original holy relic from the church!" Notte suggested and Cleo shrugged.

"I suppose that's a possibility However, the binding occurred in a single location, and the Shards are no longer there" The healer rose her rod, blasting a floating eyeball fiend to bits with dark magic without missing a step, "So I suspect there was more to it than that. We do, however, know the name of the ritual King Alberius performed"

"What's it called?"

"The Blood Casket"

"What?! That sounds terrifying! What's in the casket? And why is it BLEEDING?! Are you trying to give me nightmares?" Notte screeched in horror "I'm already afraid of the dark! Whenever I wake up at night to tinkle, I always make Zethia come with me"

"You… tinkle? I've learned more about faeries than I wished to today" Cleo muttered and the rest of us grumbled in agreement. Conversation ceased between us as we continued deeper into the misty woods. Just up ahead with the Sacred Shard.

And unbeknownst to us, this course of action would change our fates forever...

_Our team:_

**\- Euden, Dragonblood Prince - Fire sword. Level 7**

Equipment: Knight's Grace (Weapon), Mana Fount (WP) and Midgardsormr (Dragon)

Skills: Blazing Circlet and Exalted Fire

**\- Adrian, Yearning Freedom - Shadow lance. Level 5**

Equipment: Battleworn Lance and Soldier's Brand (Weapons)

**\- Zethia, Holy Auspex - Light staff. Level 10**

Equipment: Astrolabe (Weapon) and Auspex's Prayer (WP)

Skills: Auspex's Repose, Holy Heart and Astro's Protection

**\- Elisanne, Anointed Lance - Water lance. Level 11**

Equipment: Azure Jewel (Weapon)

Skills: Brave Bastion, Hallowed Waters and Azure Whirlwind

**\- Ranzal, Arc in the Storm - Wind axe. Level 10**

Equipment: Warrior's Axe (Weapon) and Together We Stand (WP)

Skills: Tornado Bash and Storm Wall

**\- Cleo, Belle Healer - Shadow staff. Level 9**

Equipment: Staff of Grace (Weapon) and Halo (WP)

Skills: Elder Cure and Ancient Aegis


	4. The Crux of Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After defeating Midgardsormr and proving to him that Euden is a worthy successor to Alberius, Euden and his group press on into the Mistholt with the guide of the mysterious sylvan Cleo to find the Sacred Shard. However, more than just the shard hides beneath the mist's guise, both good and bad. The clearing of the mist brings boons to Euden, but also sets the wheel of destiny turning, dooming the prince to a fate he never knew he would have...

"Ugh... I can't see anything in all this mist. Are you SURE this is the way?" Notte asked again as we pushed forward into the foggy woods. This was the third time the fairy asked Cleo and I silently wanted to slap Notte to get her to quiet down. Cleo however, responded politely and patiently.

"Yes... Or at least, it will be. Euden, head that way, into the deepest part of the mist" The sylvan healer instructed and Euden nodded, turning to a particular section up ahead where the mist was thickest. Nothing was even visible in there. The Prince quickly disappeared, but instantly, countless rays of light fell from the sky and fell upon the forest we were in, forcing us to avert our eyes. When the light cleared, the mist was no more and a beautiful, tranquil forest was in it's place. All around us, nature bloomed and flourished as the quiet afternoon twilight bathed the forest in warm light. I felt myself getting drowsy by the second.

"Just look at it... You'd never know a land this large was hiding in the mist," Elisanne said with awe and I followed her gaze. Out of the forest was a massive castle on the horizon, connected by a singular ornate stone bridge. Clouds and mist floated underneath the landmass and gave the castle a "city atop the clouds" sort of feel. Even more bizarre was a floating rock formation above the regal fortress, "Incredible…"

"So pretty!" Notte gasped, "It's just like the pictures of Old Alberia I saw in my storybooks!"

"The vista and fresh air are revitalizing me. I can feel my memory starting to clear," Cleo breathed in a fresh breath of air, sighing contently "I cannot believe this day has finally come. There it is, Euden. That is the Sacred Shard you have been searching for"

The sylvan pointed to a stone pedestal nearby, where a prismatic crystal laid on top, shining brightly. A feeling of peace, relaxation and content settled within me the instant I laid eyes on it. It felt like all the darkness within my body was leaving me, replaced with tranquil light. I could understand why the shards could repel fiends now.

"Here it is…" Euden seemed similarly awestruck, approaching the twinkling shard gingerly.

"I've never seen anything so lovely," Zethia marveled, entranced by the shard's beauty, "Now we just need to return it to the royal city. Everyone will be so pleased! I cannot wait to tell Father"

"Not so fast" Another voice said out of nowhere. The voice sounded exactly like King Aurelius's. Zethia seemed to pick up on it too.

"Everyone, get down!" The Auspex cried and everyone hit the floor as a bolt of dark magic flew over Euden's head, exploding behind him. The culprit warped into the scene in front of us, pulsating with miasma. The Sacred Shard's light dimmed by his presence and I felt fear settling into my body again. I dared to look up and saw the ruler of Alberia himself: King Aurelius. And he did not look happy.

"You will hand over that wretched Shard...right...now" King Aurelius commanded in a firm tone, although it seemed to be strained. His reddish eyes instantly told me something was wrong with him. The king never wielding dark magic either. Who was this imposter?

"F-Father? But I thought you went to the Binding Ruins" Euden got up, still shaky from his father's attack on him. The king flashed a dark smile in return.

"Oh, I went. Indeed I went," King Aurelius's wolfish grin grew wider "I awoke in the miasma and reclaimed one of what was lost"

"What are you talking about, Father? You're not making any sense!" Zethia cried, her face marred with confusion and betrayal.

"I thank you for removing the detestable barrier protecting this land. I set all the fiends I could muster upon it, but the sylvan kept thwarting my efforts," King Aurelius glared at Cleo, who shot one back, "However, you have solved that problem. Now nothing stands in my way"

"So those fiends WERE being controlled by someone" Cleo growled, raising her rod and Ranzal did the same with his axe.

"Good! I've been lookin' for someone to blame for all this fiend nonsense," The mercenary heaved his weapon, ready to strike the king, "Looks like King Jerkface here is the guy I need to talk to"

"You have me all wrong, my friend. I am the king of mercy," The monarch's aura of dark mana grew stronger, billowing as purple flames behind him, "Because today is the day I grant you eternal rest!"

"Your Highness, get away!" Elisanne cried before a blast of dark magic smashed into her chest, sending her sprawling onto the ground, "Aaagghhh!"

"Elly?! Hold on, I'm-" Euden ran to the Paladyn's aid before Aurelius fired another shot, clipping his son in the back, "Argh!"

"You… you're not King Aurelius! Die, you imposter!" I shouted and charged the fell king, bringing the point of my lance straight into his chest. However, King Aurelius simply deflected my attack with a shield of shadows and counterattacked, raking my chest with a rigid dark claw. I fell to the ground, blood pouring out of my wounds. My body felt like it was on fire. Midgardsormr didn't hit this hard when we fought him.

"Damn…! This guy hits as hard as a dragon…" Ranzal grunted nearby. I risked a glance even if it made a shriek build in my throat. Everybody was on the ground, injured except for Zethia.

"This is not our father. Nobody would ever strike their own son like that," Zethia glared at the king, who was still brimming with dark energy, "Who are you and why do you look like our father?!"

"Heh heh heh! And why would I tell an insignificant speck like you?" The king cupped Zethia's chin with his hand and the Auspex slapped it away, her eyes defiant "Come, Auspex. Surrender to me, and I will spare the others. You and the shard are all I want"

"Zethia… no…!" Euden croaked, his mouth soaked in blood, "Don't do it… Run...!"

"I won't leave you here to die, and I will not surrender!" Zethia cried courageously before raising her staff into the air. The magic weapon shined with azure light, "Blessed Ilia! Help us!"

"What's...going on? My body is feeling...hot...and I feel power...that's welling inside of me...I…" Euden began floating into the air, surrounded by transparent yellow light like a shapeshift, "AAAAAAAAH!"

Golden light surrounded Euden like a shell before he shapeshifted into a dragon. Not Midgardsormr, but a platinum dragon bearing golden horns, a muscular physique and snow white scales. It's holy aura completely nullified King Aurelius's dark one.

" **RARRRGGHHH!** " Dragon Euden roared, forming a sphere of white light in his maw. Instantly, he threw it onto the fallen king, causing an eruption of holy light that shone like the brightest beacon. I could feel the grass fly and the trees sway from the sheer force of the blow as King Aurelius roared with agony, consumed by the pillar of light. When the light faded, Euden turned back to normal and fell to the ground, spent.

"He shapeshifted without a pact? How is that possible?" Zethia gasped in shock, "Do I somehow have the power to awaken his dragonblood?"

"Graaagh! Elysium! You vile, accursed creature!" King Aurelius roared curses, his body on one knee and steaming from the attack, "How dare you stand in my way again!"

"What just happened? Zethia, did you do...that?" Euden groaned, trying to stand up. However, a massive gash was over his back, gushing blood, "Why is everything so… foggy…?"

"Brother! Are you alright?! Stay with us!" Zethia cried, raising her staff to heal, but King Aurelius rose onto his feet, surround himself with the dark aura once again. The spike in dark mana knocked Zethia off balance.

"Dragonblood and maiden's prayer have united to awaken the new king... The cycle repeats...and that I cannot abide" King Aurelius marched towards Euden, intent to finish him off. Ranzal and Elisanne attempted to stop him, but they were slapped aside like children.

"Are you kiddin' me? How is he still standin' after getting nailed by an attack like that?" Ranzal groaned, struggling to stand up.

"Zethia... Again! Give me that power again!" Euden demanded, wincing from his injuries, "It's the only way to protect everyone!"

"You're in no state to shapeshift again. Your wounds have opened, and doing so could kill you," Elisanne crawled over to Euden, intent to help him. The prince simply shook his head and rose, panting. His sword arm was as shaky as a twig, "Please, Your Highness…"

"He's getting up? The wretched fool... He does remind me of Alberius…" The king put his hand up to Euden's head, ready to blow it off, "But today the dragon bloodline ends!"

"WAIT!" Zethia screamed, jumping in front of Euden, "Stop it! You win…"

"Mmm? What's this?" King Aurelius cracked a sinister smile as the Auspex stepped forward, dropping her staff.

"I'll go with you. Only if you swear to spare their lives"

"Zethia, no! Don't do it!" Notte cried in desperation and the Auspex simply shook her head.

"One day, Euden will save our people. Alberia cannot afford to lose him," Zethia replied in her strongest voice, although I saw tears sparkling in her eyes, "If we try to resist, all of us will perish. The wisest choice is for me to obey"

"At least one of you has some sense. Now bring me the Shard" King Aurelius commanded and Zethia nodded, taking the prismatic shard from it's place. She gave it to the fallen king and instantly, he crushed it in his palm.

"Good, good. Another shard gone" The king gloated before raising his hand. A swirling portal of dark magic opened behind him, taking both him and Zethia away.

"I'm sorry, everyone. Be safe. ...Good-bye, Euden" Zethia put her hands into a prayer and instantly, both her and the king were gone.

"No… No! ZETHIA!"

"Zethia, no! Why?!" Notte sobbed, "What do we do, Euden?! That creep kidnapped Zethia!"

"We go after him!" Euden groaned, trying to rise from the ground. Elisanne however held him down, "Nnnngh… Elly…?"

"You're injured, Your Highness! He'll kill you if you try anything!" The Paladyn cried, "Let Cleo heal you and get some rest first. I know for sure that imposter wasn't the real King Aurelius"

"She's right. Right now, ya need to heal up so we can figure out what'n blazes just happened" Ranzal agreed, before looking ahead to the castle, "Let's rest there for the time being"

"A...alright. We'll return to the royal city as soon as I can move. Father will know who that imposter was" Euden nodded as Cleo rose her rod, healing the worst of his wounds, along with everyone else's. My chest still feels like it's been sliced open, but at least blood wasn't gushing out of it now. Still, I felt incredible wobbly.

"The mist has cleared. That means the castle here is ours to use. It is called the Halidom. This is where Alberius the Founder's dynasty began," Cleo gestured to the pristine castle, "We should tarry here for a while and explore the castle. We may find something useful for the battles ahead. Also, if you will have me, I wish to accompany you and offer what help I can"

"Thank you. You've been a lot of help, Cleo. We'd be lucky to have you," Euden nodded as he stood up, "Alright, everyone. We'll rest at the Halidom and prepare for the next leg of our journey"

…

The Halidom was cleaner than I thought it would be. For a supposingly ancient building, it was well kept and signs of activity were about before we arrived.

"Is something the matter?" Cleo asked. She guided me through the Halidom's second floor, which seemed to contain over a thousand bedrooms. An entire battalion of Alberia's standing army could rest here and the bedrooms were no cheap barracks either. Each and every one was luxurious and comfortable, complete with a walk-in closet, queen sized bed, feather pillows and so much more. I felt like I was living like royalty here.

"Nothing. I'm just wondering how this place is so well-kept," I replied, inspecting the railing next to me. Unexpectedly, it was dusted and seemed to be in a darker shade than usual, like was recently cleaned, "I mean, this place was present back in Alberius's time. Shouldn't it be ancient and well… collapsed already?"

"I was still here in the Halidom, even after Alberius's company long left. My old master bade me to protect and maintain this place as his final order," Cleo said, showing me a room numbered 128 like it was an inn, "As such, I've been cleaning the entire Halidom in preparation for Euden's arrival"

"You've cleaned this entire place?! It's gigantic!" I replied in awe. The sylvan didn't look the least bit winded from her efforts. No signs of age or exhaust anywhere, "Do you not have hobbies or activities to indulge in?"

"... I draw and paint occasionally. But I'd rather not say more," The healer shook her head, "Anyhow, here is your room and key. I'm going to help out Ranzal next"

"Alright," I accepted the simple metal key with a wooden card attached to it, "And thank you"

"My pleasure," Cleo nodded before taking off down the staircase. I decided to explore my room a bit. Leaving my spear and sword by the door, I checked the closet for a spare change of clothes. Astonishingly, there were several sets of clothing already inside. Nothing my style obviously, but enough to be comfortable. Sleeping in my armor while on campaigns was already torturous. I was grateful for the lighter clothes.

"... This should be good" I murmured to myself. I adorned myself with a fair-fitting white tunic secured by a brown belt and brown pants. It was peasant clothing really, but it was far more comfortable than my armor and Prince Euden didn't give a crap about status anyways. I could afford to be a little more loose. By the door of my room was a desk with a mirror, comb, razor and other utilities. Who even bought all this stuff? The bill must of been ridiculous.

"Let's check the armory after this. I need some stronger weapons" I told myself as I combed my raven black hair to get the helmet-hair down. Once that was done, I exited out of my room and headed back down to the foyer to explore some more. To my surprise, there were already a few new people gathered by the door. Euden was already conversing with them.

"... Me and Ezelith met each other on our travels. Don't mind her. She's as good as she says she is," A swordsman with black hair and a wide hat assured. The girl beside him, who I assumed was Ezelith simply crossed her arms.

"Damn right. Ku Hai here was lucky to find me when he did. Then again, anyone's lucky when they have ME on their side," Ezelith grinned and then skipped around the foyer, "Wow! This place is massive. Do you live here?"

"For the time being, yes," Euden nodded, "What are you two here for anyways?"

"Oh, we simply saw this place emerge from the mist a few hours ago and decided to investigate. The fact that a dragon was roosting nearby piqued Roc's interest too," Ku Hai replied. Catching Euden's confusion, the swordsman drew a green crystal similar to a pactstone from his clothes. Muttering under his breath, the traveler summoned a white and green bird-like dragon beside him, brimming with wind mana.

"This is Roc, my companion dragon. Like Ezelith, I met her in my travels and decided to band together," Ku Hai's voice dropped down a little, "And no offense to Ezelith, but Roc has been my greatest boon ever since we met"

" **Ha! You do know how to charm a dragon, Ku Hai!** " Roc laughed. Like Midgardsormr, her voice boomed like an echo, " **Anyways, we came here to rest a little before resuming our travels. Do you mind?** "

"Of course not. There are plenty of rooms to pick from," Euden grinned earnestly, "And I'm sure Roc would love the company of another dragon. Find Cleo, a purple haired sylvan to get your room and key"

"Wonderful! Thank you so much for your kindness," Ku Hai nodded before looking around the foyer, "Ezelith! Where are you?!"

" **Oh no, not again** ," Roc groaned, " **That girl is always out and about doing what she likes** "

"Looks like a child and acts like a child. I'm just glad she's such a powerful magi," Ku Hai muttered and the two of them set off. I approached Euden and he looked as surprised as I was.

"Well, that didn't take long. Two people plus a dragon," I remarked as I looked outside the Halidom's lobby, "Makes sense that a massive castle like this attracts attention, especially since we unveiled it just an hour ago"

"Yeah… I should be resting, but I want to be here in case more people show up," Euden felt his back, which recovered nicely thanks to Cleo, but he still winced, "Ranzal and Elisanne are exploring the Halidom so…"

"Your Highness!" On cue, the Paladyn ran up to the prince, panting, "What are you doing standing here? You should be resting!"

"Sorry Elly. Some people are taking notice of the Halidom, so I want to be here to greet them and know what they're here for," The prince apologized, "I'll take up your suggestion to rest though. You mind taking over here?"

"Of course, Your Highness" Elisanne nodded and Euden took off to the second floor. I decided to resume my exploration to find the castle armory or storage.

"Hey, Notte," I caught the fairy floating around the kitchen, peering around for snacks, "You happen to know where the armory or storage shed is here? I need a new weapon"

"Uhh… I haven't taken a full look in here yet, but Ranzal said he was heading back to Rovetelle for a quick minute," Notte replied, "He said he was bringing back some old friends to help us. A trio of blacksmith sisters!"

"Really now? Well, so much for finding that armory. Why have a dusty old lance when I get a newly forged one?" I grinned, "Thanks for telling me, Notte. Good luck finding some food here"

"Yeah! I swear that Cleo doesn't eat anything here…" Notte continued her search and I went on my way, eventually coming out to a massive courtyard, which could fit an entire festival. Several trees lined the field along with some training dummies, archery targets and a sparring area by the corner. Clotheslines, wash basins and gardens were on the other side of the field.

"Mm… I suppose it'll be a while before those blacksmiths arrive. Let's get some training in" I told myself and went over to the sparring arena, where rows of wooden lances, swords, axes, daggers and bows laid to use. I took up a spear and began jabbing away at a training dummy, my mind going on autopilot. I was mostly focused on awakening the elemental spirit within myself to execute skills. Everyone in our group could do it except for me, so I needed to not fall behind.

"Come on… Luna Breaker!" Just for fun, I even made names for my elemental skills, but like usual, nothing happened. All I did was gut the dummy through like usual, "Mm… nothing again. Disappointing, but not unusual"

"... Pray tell, what are you doing?" A voice asked behind me and I whirled around, nearly impaling the woman through. However, she didn't flinch, "Prithee, I didn't come here to get run though. Lower the weapon"

Reluctantly, I did, "Okay. Who are you then?"

"I am called Nefaria," The woman introduced herself. She had very dark skin and wore a desert-like ensemble. In her hands was a bow pulsing with faint purple light and she had a quiver over her waist. A shadow-attuned archer, "It came to my attention that an ancient castle has returned to this world, and I could not resist laying eyes upon it myself"

"... We unveiled this castle not too long ago. Unless you were lying in wait, I couldn't fathom how you caught word of it so fast," I replied and Nefaria simply shrugged.

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to see spires of light falling from the sky. This castle's return has been seen for miles," The archer explained, "Upon that sight, I journeyed far from the south where the sun scorched the land without mercy. Now finally, I have arrived"

"Where the sun scorched the land without mercy… that's the southern desert, far from Alberia," I frowned, "Okay, I'd like to say again that we unveiled the castle two hours ago. You couldn't have possibly come here that fast"

Nefaria smirked, bringing out another dragon crystal like Ku Hai's "I had company. Come forth, Nidhogg!"

The purple crystal glowed in the afternoon sunlight and suddenly, a massive purple and blue dragon appeared in the courtyard, spreading it's torn wings. Around it was an aura of dark mana, although not the same like King Aurelius's. This one made me fearful, not terrified.

"Me and him share a connection and we've been traveling since. He has been the most benevolent protector," Nefaria said proudly and Nidhogg simply grunted in response. I noticed a few gaping wounds here and there on the dragon, "However, his has sustained awful injuries on the way here thanks to fiends. I was hoping to both visit and rest here to restore Nidhogg's condition"

"... Take that up with Prince Euden, our leader. I'm not authorized to recruit people here," I shook my head and Nefaria nodded in understanding, returning Nidhogg back to crystal form, "Before you go though, can I have a favor?"

"What is it?"

"I noticed that your bow is brimming with dark magic. You're also bonded with a shadow dragon," I began, "And long ago, someone determined that a shadow spirit lived within me. So I was wondering…"

"You aren't able to execute any skills, is that right?" Nefaria guessed and I nodded sadly, "I see. If Euden allows it, I'll stay here and help you. Nighttime is the prime time to hone your spirit in particular"

"I assumed so. Thank you Nefaria" I bowed to her out of respect and a faint smile appeared on her face. The archer then took off into the castle, leaving me alone again.

"Prithee…? She speaks old and sounds old, yet she looks so youthful," I murmured as I took more practice jabs at the dummy, "And she said her and Nidhogg shared a connection. A shadow dragon that emanates fear. What connection could that possibly be…?"

"Alright Smithwyrms! Let's restore this armory real quick so our blacksmiths can take some residence!" I heard Ranzal yell from the other side of the courtyard. I looked ahead and saw two winged fafnirs with hammers and hardhats hammering away at an old shed by the corner. By some magic, their hammers restored the structure bit by bit with every hit. Not too long later, the armory was restored and open for business.

"Ah ha! Smithwyrms never ceases to amaze me" A blonde haired woman wearing a blacksmith's outfit complete with goggles exclaimed with pride. The fafnirs grinned before flying back to the castle, their job finished, "Just a couple hits of their hammers and they can rebuild anything"

"It truly is marvelous," An older woman with maroon hair agreed, gazing upon the armory with awe, "Thank you Ranzal, for giving us the opportunity to work here. I'm sure the Halidom would attract more customers than our run down storefront in Rovetelle"

"Ha, no need to thank me! You girls and your father have done more than enough for me since forever!" Ranzal grinned, "I don't know anyone who could maintain my armor and axe better! Same for you, Malka!"

"Heh. I'm glad you didn't forget me," A purple haired man covered in gold armor smiled. Rich fellow, looks to be be, "Now then, let's get this armory up and going. I'm sure Ranzal's gonna need his weapon sharpened AGAIN soon"

"Ha ha! You know me too well!" The mercenary laughed as the four blacksmiths entered into the restored smithy. I approached Ranzal once he was alone.

"Huh. If I didn't know any better, we'd be starting to build an army in here," I joked, "Two dragons, seven new recruits and now a full fledged armory. Euden's base is going to be pimped out compared to the royal capital at this rate"

"Let's call them "adventurers" instead of recruits. They haven't been fighting for us yet," Ranzal suggested, "They've come from places all over Alberia, so they're travelers technically"

"Fine. Adventurers then," I shrugged, "In any case, I believe we'll be moving out back to the capital tomorrow morning thanks to our injuries. So let's just-"

Suddenly, I heard a loud bell ring throughout the entire Halidom. I looked around for the source of the noise while Ranzal jerked around with excitement.

"The lunch time bell! Time to see how good Cleo's cooking is!" Ranzal exclaimed excitedly, pushing me aside, "I haven't had good grub in a while, so this food better be fit for royalty!"

"Considering Cleo's position, I wouldn't be surprised," I smirked, "I'll see you at the mess hall. I need to get a new weapon"

Ranzal stopped in his tracks, "Oh, you'll need to grab the materials yourself if you want that. By the time I found Ramona, Rena, Renee and Malka in the workshop, they said they were just out of ore. So be prepared for some extra work"

"Wonderful," I groaned, "Where can I even find materials to make weapons around here?"

"Fiends usually drop them. I suggest prowling the Mistholt a bit to look for them," Ranzal said, "Now then, time to eat. See ya later!"

"Yeah… See you"

…

Several hours later, I found myself alone in the Mistholt forest in my armor. The sun was setting behind me as I prowled around in search for fiends. In order to forge a Mailbreaker lance and a Ensorcelled Sword for myself, I need to find some Fiend Claws, Light Metal and Iron Ore. Also I needed rupies to pay for it. Luckily, fiends dropped all three according to Ranzal, so this shouldn't be hard.

"Hah!" I stabbed a fiend through, dissolving it into dark mana. The fiends around the Mistholt were garden variety, so they didn't pose much of a threat to me. Just the goblins, slimes and a few eyeballs. The bigger problem was actually acquiring their loot, since fiends dissolved into dark mana as they die. That made it impossible to gather their claws.

"Maybe if I just hit them this way to incapacitate them…" I slammed the butt of my spear into a fiend's stomach, making it spiral to the ground. I drew my sword to slice the goblin's hand off to get the claws, but it's club connected my face and I staggered away with a bloody nose, "Damn it!"

The fiend got up and charged to take advantage of my dizziness. I had no other choice but to stab the fiend through, wasting my kill.

"If you want to gather fiend body parts, you have to kill them the right way," Suddenly, a man covered head to toe in dark armor appeared before me. His visor showed red eyes, which I still didn't recover from after Aurelius. I twitched, instantly thinking he was an enemy and raised my weapon, "Wait! Be at peace!"

"Who are you and why do you look so…"

"Evil? Scary looking?"

"Yes. That"

"It's just his armor. Don't mind it," Someone dropped down from the trees, startling me. It was a sylvan archer with blonde hair and white ears. She only wore a breastplate and a green skirt, complete with a white cape, "I told you to shed the armor already, Rodrigo. You're scaring everyone you meet"

"I can't afford another set. This is the best I got!" Rodrigo replied, frustrated, "Nobody wants fiend meat, so making money hasn't been very easy"

"Well, naturally! Fiends are vicious and vile creatures. If you aren't careful, some are poisonous too. What humans would want to eat that?" The sylvan sighed, shaking her head, "Not even sylvans consume fiends. Harvest and sell something normal! Like meat or crops!"

"You know this already, Eleonora. I've been a mercenary my whole life!" Rodrigo argued back, "I don't know nothing but killing and hunting"

"My goodness, you're hopeless…" Eleonora groaned, "Are all humans like this?"

"I can assure you that they aren't. Now then, what were you saying about gathering fiend parts, Rodrigo?" I asked the dark swordsman and he turned to me, hand on his sword.

"I was saying that you have to attack them in a way to not kill them. That way, you can harvest their parts easily" He explained and I sighed.

"I tried that already. All I got back was this bloody nose" I grumbled, putting my hand onto it to suppress the blood flow. Eleonora produced a tissue from her pouch and handed it to me.

"That's because you only knocked it down, letting it fight back. You need to take out vital spots like the eyes, arms and legs without killing them for it to work," Rodrigo drew his sword, "Here, I'll demonstrate. Watch and learn!"

Taking a nearby goblin fiend by surprise, Rodrigo leapt on the beast, shearing off both of it's arms in a single swing. Before the fiend could even screech, Rodrigo ripped through it's legs and eyes before finally cleaving off the fiend's neck. Before now, I only aimed for the chest on fiends to slay them, but Rodrigo was magnificent. The most efficient fiend slaying I've seen.

"And there you go! I recommend using your sword to hunt fiends. That or a bow, if you know how to use it," Rodrigo gathered up the fallen fiend parts as the main body dissolved, handing them to me, "Lances have a tougher time shearing off individual parts"

"Ah, I see. Thank you so much!" I stuffed the fiend parts into the bag I brought along, "If you don't mind, could you two help me gather some more parts? I need it to forge a new weapon for myself"

"It would be my pleasure. Eleonora?" Rodrigo turned to the sylvan, who was picking at her bowstring, "You want to pitch in here?"

"Sure, sure. There's still time to kill before I have to get back to my village," Eleonora nocked an arrow into her bow, "Let the fiend hunt begin!"

…

An hour and a half later, night began to fell over the Mistholt and I heard Cleo sound her bell for the arrival of dinner. Me, Rodrigo and Eleonora managed to slay about 56 fiends total and snagged plenty of loot. It was thanks to Rodrigo's technique and Eleonora's hunting skills that we got so much to use.

"Thanks again, you two. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you" I told the duo as I tied up my bag of spoils, shouldering it. We decided to split the loot 50-50, since Eleonora declined taking back any bits of fiends with her. Even then, the payload was more than enough to forge five Ensorcelled Swords. Along the way, I even learned how to skin and eat fiend meat. A handy survival skill.

"You're welcome", Rodrigo grinned before looking into the sky, "Ah, nightfall comes. I'm afraid our time has ended, Adrian"

"Yes. I'm long overdue to return home, so I must be going," Eleonora shouldered her bow before digging into her pouch, "Here's a parting gift though, Adrian"

The sylvan tossed me a wyrmprint and I caught it. The artwork displayed on the print was the Alberian banner, flapping in a stormy day. Appropriately, the wyrmprint was called "Alberian Banner" and increases the power of my force strikes. How thoughtful.

"You seem to have an affinity for force strikes, so I thought that would be useful to you," Eleonora flashed me a smile before turning her back on us, "Now then, I hope to see you two again. Farewell!"

And with that, the sylvan bounded off, racing into the ever-increasing darkness of the Mistholt.

"And to one friend to another, here is some cured fiend meat," Rodrigo handed me a pack full of raw slabs of meat almost like steak, "Grilling or roasting them brings out the best of the natural flavor. I hope you enjoy it"

"Thank you, Rodrigo. I… I don't know how to repay you," I shook hands with the mercenary, "Actually hold on, I do. You said you knew nothing except for fighting and hunting, right?"

"... Yes. What are you suggesting?"

"Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight? Or a family to go home to?"

"No. Either I live in the wilderness or an inn until the next day. Money is tight with me having to maintain my sword and armor," Rodrigo replied sadly and I grinned.

"Come with me. I know a place where you can stay. I'm sure the people there would love to have you," I turned around, heading back to the Halidom, "A fiend hunter like yourself will be valuable"

"Truly so? Wonderful!" Rodrigo grinned, "Then I shall accompany you. Lead the way!"

With my new companion in tow, we headed back to the Halidom under the light of the rising moon. Life here seemed peaceful and simple, but unbeknownst to me, everything was going to change the very next day...

_Our team:_

**\- Adrian, Yearning Freedom - Shadow lance. Level 11**

Equipment: Battleworn Lance, Soldier's Brand (Weapon) and Alberian Banner (WP)

**\- Rodrigo, Sincere Giver - Shadow sword. Level 15**

Equipment: Blood Price (Weapon) and Unfulfilled Visions (WP)


	5. Sudden Traitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting out from the Halidom towards the royal capital in search of answers, Euden's party encounters a strange new set of foes on the royal highway near Myriage Lake, including a jealous prince and a cunning swordsmen. Circumstances grow worse as the once proud Sol Alberia turns it's heart black and begins a bloody conquest across the whole world. Humans, sylvans and all manner of civilization will feel the heel of Dyrenell and this is only the beginning...

That night after dinner, I met Nefaria in the castle courtyard. The only sound in the area was the blacksmith sisters and Malka forging new weapons in the armory while everyone else slept dinner off. We didn't even spend that much on groceries and Cleo's cooking was still fit for royalty. I wondered where she even got her skills.

"You have arrived. Your company has been most helpful to me and Nidhogg. I am thankful," Nefaria smiled lightly as I approached her. Her bow seemed to glow even more sinisterly in the moonlight. I quivered with repulse, "Do not fear"

"I'm sorry?"

"That is your first lesson. Do not fear the dark. Embrace it," Nefaria drew an arrow, nocking it into her bow and aiming to a nearby dummy, "Those with spirits of shadow harness the power of darkness to fell their foes. Blood, fear and death are their allies"

The archer drew back her arrow, "Night of Antiquity!"

Firing the bolt at the target, the arrow exploded into a cloud of shade upon contact. I watched as the shade hovered above the demolished dummy before raining down a maelstrom of black shadow bolts like a rainstorm, peppering it with arrows that seemed to screech on the wind. When the attack ended, there was nothing left but a destroyed dummy and several fading twinkling purple arrows. Not a terrifying attack in concept, but being murdered with no trace of the weapon was a scare enough.

"A concept people are still blind to is that light is good and dark is evil. A world of black and white is hardly a world at all however," Nefaria continued, "Light-spirited people can be evil and dark spirits can be good. It's the individual morality of the person. Do you feel embarrassed by your spirit sometimes, Adrian?"

"... Occasionally," I felt like my spirit was responsible for the bad luck throughout my life. Getting assigned employers like Prince Emile and Leonidas, being branded a traitor for speaking out against said employers, nearly losing my life multiple times and well… the thing that started it all: the illness that has taken my sister and family which forced me to be an Alberian knight. Truth was, I had become to silently hate and fear the spirit the populace shunned "I've been more than embarrassed by it"

"Mm. I see. Alas, it is something you'll live with for the rest of your life," Nefaria's eyes suddenly took on an ageless look, like her life was flashing before her, "You have to learn to let go of your regrets and condemnations in your life. Otherwise, you may never master the darkness"

"... Is it really this complicated? Prince Euden lived in royalty his whole life and yet he mastered his skills in a single day"

"Were you around to see his troubles? The trials he had to take?" Nefaria asked and I bit my lip. I should of known. Captain Leif's training was harsh enough to awaken the spirit in anybody, given they survive enough of it. It wasn't a surprise Euden's fiery blood burned bright.

"No. I wasn't" I admitted and Nefaria smiled at my honesty.

"Elemental spirits are manifested, honed and strengthened by moments of conflict and strife. Some take longer than others to grow. Perhaps you are in that category," The archer stroked my cheek gently and I flinched, slightly taken aback by her cold touch, "How much have you suffered, pray tell?"

"... Plenty. More than most others, if I'm being honest"

"Mm, I see. You are a late bloomer then. There is time still left for you to grow," Nefaria drew away her cold hand and pulled out the Nidhogg dragonstone, "Because I am bonded to a shadow dragon, I can awaken the spirit within you slightly. The rest however, is your path to walk"

"Just how do you know all of this stuff, Nefaria?" I asked, "Even by experienced sorcerers and mages, this knowledge is scarce and still lost to the- Oh boy. I'm talking like you now"

Nefaria smirked at my remark, "Anyone who has lived to my age has enough time to unlock any secret of the universe. Why else do you think I'm bonded to the dragon of death?"

"But you look so young. You can't be-" The truth struck me. It sounded absolutely ridiculous, but Nefaria's gaze was gentle. I knew she wouldn't laugh in my face if I got it wrong, "Nidhogg, the dragon of death is bound to you, yet you are alive. However, you are not. Because you are…"

"In truth, I am what you folk call zombies. A resurrected corpse," Nefaria admitted. No wonder she felt so cold. It wasn't just because of the nighttime air. She was literally as cold as a corpse, "I was the former queen of the southern desert nation and I attained my shadow spirit after I came back to life"

"Is that why you're aiding me with my issue?"

"I'm doing so because you asked me first, but indeed. That too," Nefaria nodded, "Back to where we were, Nidhogg helped me strengthen my spirit further when I met him. He could do the same for you now"

"... Is it safe?"

"Nothing comes without risk. All you have to do is walk the rest of the path yourself," Nefaria whispered an incantation and Nidhogg appeared in the nighttime courtyard, radiating death and darkness. Nefaria's words came back to me.

"Don't fear the dark. Embrace it"

"I won't be afraid. I won't run away," I said boldly to the towering dragon, "I'm here right now because I survived everything that happened until now. Darkness, death and suffering won't faze me, because I know I've suffered through worse. Give me your power so I may save my family"

" **Touching. Life and death is a cycle not everyone is still accustomed to. Are you prepared for when the worst passes?** " Nidhogg asked. The question held an ominous tone to it, but I nodded still, " **Very well. Accept my strength, as a fellow shade** "

A faint blue light glowed around me briefly as Nefaria withdrew Nidhogg. Just as fast as it appeared, the starlight around me was gone. I didn't feel any stronger physically, but more… confident. Like I was more grounded in reality and the world.

"Congratulations. The first set of your mana circles have been unlocked. The rest is up to you," Nefaria said flatly as the light resembling Nidhogg faded back into her dragonstone. The ancient queen caught my look of confusion, "Ah, are you not familiar with mana circles?"

"No… I've never heard of such a thing," I shook my head, "What are they?"

"Mana circles are said to resemble a tower five floors high within the human body. Each floor contains ten mana nodes and those nodes can be unlocked to grant new powers to the person" Nefaria explained.

"And how are such nodes unlocked?"

"By experience. The more you fight and the more you stress your elemental spirit, the more nodes that will be unlocked," The ancient queen replied, "That or a certain ritual involving ingredients lost to time…"

"Like…?"

"Greatwyrm dragon scales, orbs of elemental energy, parchments detailing ancient codes for knights and champions and of course, pure mana," Nefaria listed off, "Gathering all of that is a trial on its own. People find it best to unlock the nodes manually"

"I see…" I frowned. We had a Greatwyrm in our entourage in the form of Midgardsormr. Perhaps he could lend us his scales if we asked? But I suspected scales of the Windwyrm wouldn't work for a shadow elemental like I was, "Well, thank you for everything Nefaria. I must be off to bed"

"Wait, if not for a second," Nefaria grabbed my shoulder, stunning me. The cold touch of the dead queen froze me in my tracks, "Is it not wise to test your new power? Prithee, do not make me and Nidhogg's efforts go to waste if you don't use it"

"Yes… you're right. I was just drowsy" I shook my head and grabbed a training lance. I took a stance against a training dummy, listening to the nighttime winds howling.

"Calm yourself. Envision the spirit of darkness as part of you. Manifest it unto your weapon" Nefaria instructed and I nodded, closing my eyes to concentrate.

"Do not fear death and misfortune. Embrace it. Those are your powers," I muttered to myself before hearing a crackling sound behind me. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and saw purple flames dancing on the edge of my spear.

"Now is your chance. Bring it to its final resting place" Nefaria encouraged and I arched my eyes to my target, ready to leap.

"Luna Breaker!"

I jumped, slamming the fiery end of my weapon onto the dummy, erupting it in a brief explosion of umbra flames. The bonfire burnt the remains of the demolished dummy to ash and I watched in awe as the shadow flame faded from my spear. My lance had nary a scratch on it. I did it. I finally unleashed a skill.

"... It's not enough. Prince Euden and the others already mastered their second skills. I need more-" Nefaria touched my shoulder, freezing me. Even though she touched me only a minute ago, it stunned me in my tracks, "Nefaria?"

"Prithee, do not exert yourself. What do need is rest," The ancient queen reprimanded, "You have a task to undertake tomorrow morning, do you not? Is best that you sleep now, lest you regret it later"

"Right… I'll continue to hone my skills later. Thanks again, Nefaria," I bowed to the archer out of respect before walking back into the now-empty castle. I found my way back to my room and the instant my head hit the pillow, I was out. I didn't realize how tired using Luna Breaker for the first time made me.

"Wonder what I should… name the second… one…" I yawned and closed my eyes, letting the peaceful darkness around me claim me in slumber.

…

The next day, the group we had prior to arriving in the Halidom set off back to the Alberian capital city. I learned along the way that Ezelith decided to stay awhile and hold the castle while Ku Hai and Roc set off back on their travels. Nefaria and Nidhogg stayed as well, stating that they wanted to observe the castle. Rodrigo did the samw, saying that he needed to find a way to repay us for letting him stay the night.

"Hmm…", Euden looked lost in thought as we exited Rovetelle and made our way back down the Mistholt, backtracking the original way we got there. I figured he was still troubled by the events from yesterday.

"What's the matter, Your Highness?" Elisanne asked, noticing Euden's discomfort too. The prince flinched in surprise slightly before regaining his composure.

"It's… it's nothing. I'm just thinking about Zethia and my imposter father yesterday. Who were they and what did they want with the Sacred Shard?" Euden asked aloud, "No ordinary fiend is powerful enough to resist the power of a shard, so who were they?"

"I'm certain the real King Aurelius would know the answer," Elisanne reassured, "And he can help get the Auspex back, along with punish the imposter"

"Yes… I'm sure he will" Euden smiled lightly and we pressed on, approaching the royal highway that passed through Myriage Lake. Me and Euden originally departed from here when we got our assignment, yet it felt so long ago now, with everything that happened. Yet still, Myriage Lake looked no different. A relatively peaceful body of water surrounded by sylvan villages.

"Blegh... Finally! We've nearly made it back to the royal city," Notte panted, "The Halidom is so far away from here, it's crazy!"

"We have to hurry. Every moment we delay is a moment Zethia suffers," Euden urged, already dashing ahead to the gates. However, Ranzal held him back, "What is it?"

"Hold on. We got soldiers incoming," The mercenary pointed to the crowd of soldiers emerging from the capital's gate, "Maybe a little welcomin' party for Euden?"

"I don't think so. That banner they're flying isn't Alberia's" Elisanne said uneasily and I looked up to the flag the battalion toted. The flag depicted a blue horned shield with a trident behind it. On the shield was a serpent coiled over a spiral, as if the snake was crushing the entire world. It was a far cry from Alberia's free, red dragon sigil banner.

"I recognize that standard... That's the banner of the Dyrenell Empire!" Cleo gasped, "But how is that possible? They were defeated centuries ago!"

The army caught up to us and a man with familiar white and black armor took the front. He had short, spiky brown hair and a stoic expression on his face. He was the legendary White Sparrow of the Alberian knights and both me and Euden's teacher: Captain Leif.

"Captain Leif, what are you doing here? What's Alberia flying Dyrenell's colors for?" I asked worriedly and Leif hung his head in shame.

"Ah, I feared word hadn't reached you yet. I'm sorry to bring this news to you but…" Leif's head rose and his expression hardened again, "Alberia has fallen"

"What?! By whom?" Euden cried in surprise.

"By King Aurelius. Our land has been given a new name: the Dyrenell Empire" Leif replied with a grave tone.

"What?! But that… that's the name of the evil empire that was destroyed three centuries ago!" Elisanne cried in surprised, "How did they-"

"We're a kingdom, Leif. Not an empire. Please just tell me what happened," Euden's tone turned deadly serious and Leif nodded in response.

"It's your father. He… he has changed ever since he came back from the Binding Ruins. Delphi and I have tried to stop him, but to no avail. And now we live to regret it," Leif looked around himself to make sure nobody was listening, even though an entire Alberian battalion was behind him, "King Aurelius has abandoned our charter of peace and declared war on the rest of the world. You cannot stay here, Your Highness. Get as far away as you can!"

"Leif, what are you so scared of?" Notte asked worriedly.

"Just hurry and go!" Leif looked around himself again, sweat beading down his forehead, "Before he finds you and-"

"Well, well. If it isn't Prince Miscreant in the flesh!" A smug, confident voice cut through the air and the Alberian battalion made way for a man with brown hair, wearing a black and purple coat lined with fur by the top. The legendary shadow sword Dainsleif laid in his scabbard. His posture and voice made him seem like a jokester and not a threat, but I knew exactly how good he was. The chief of the Alberian capital guard, Harle. Said to be equal to Captain Leif, "How fortunate for us to meet here. I thought I'd have to scour the entire kingdom for you!"

"Who are you calling a miscreant, Harle?" Euden asked in surprise and Harle's eyes went wide before he rested his hand over his forehead, grinning lightly.

"Oh dear! Oh dear dear dear," The swordsman shook his head, "Has no one warned you about the precarious position you're in?"

"That sneer, that haughty bearing, that way he keeps saying "dear..." Everything about him turns my stomach," Elisanne grumbled impatiently, "State your point and be done with it, cur! We've not time for the likes of you"

"Elisanne! Peace please!"

"Hey, hey, I agree with her here," Ranzal chimed in, "This guy's a chump and a half. Can you just tell us what's going on already?!"

"Oh, I'll tell you alright. You are ALL in the service of a criminal, which makes you all complicit!" Harle intoned and all of us gasped in horror.

"Of what crimes?!" Cleo cried.

"Oh, ALL of them! Unleashing fiends upon the royal city, kidnapping dear Princess Zethia-"

"We didn't do that! It was an impos-" Euden interrupted, but Harle cut him off.

"Nuh uh uh. You can explain all of that to your cellmate. After all, you two will have a lot of time to know each other," Harle drew his blade, 32 inches of glistening darkness webbing the air, "Guards, arrest them all!"

"Stop! This is a mistake! I demand to speak to my father!" Euden cried in desperation as the guards moved in to attack. However, another voice called out from behind the crowd, stopping them. I mentally groaned since I recognized the voice. The haughty, self-righteous, poor hypothetical son of a fiend Emile. My former employer who almost had me killed for speaking against his idotic orders.

"Ha! That's never going to happen, you stupid twit!" Emile stepped onto the scene, his blonde hair tousled like usual and his expensive green and white outfit glittering in the sunlight. A clear, but transparent show of his lack of wealth and power. The blade at his side was nothing like Harle's Dainsleif or Leif's Zex's End. Just a cheap Featherblade, "Your father was one who ordered you to be taken in!"

"Emile?! Father would never do that! The man you think is Father is an imposter!" Euden backed away from the approaching crowd of soldiers, desperately pleading to Emile and Harle while Leif looked on, helpless "Open your eyes, Brother!"

"Ah-ah-ahhh! You're still talking, and criminals don't get to talk," Emile looked to the soldiers around him and his face soured, "...Guards! What are you waiting for?! Seize them! NOW!"

"You metal-plated pond scum. How dare you raise your weapons to your own prince!" Elisanne roared and struck an approaching Alberian soldier, taking him down. However, she was met with five more lances and she took a hard blow to the arm, "Gah!"

"Prince? All I see is a traitor. And if the traitor is smart, he will lay down his sword at once" Harle threatened, ''Otherwise, we can make this a whole lot more painful for the rest of you"

"TACTICAL GALE!"

"Huh?!" The Alberian soldiers only got a second to look in the direction of the voice before blasts of wind threw them off their feet and onto the ground dazed. Harle, Leif and Emile managed to stand, but were completely stunned in shock.

"Go! I'll catch up with you guys!" I heard Ku Hai's voice yell as he drew his sword and engaged the soldiers starting to get up while Roc did the same. Ranzal took that cue to run off onto the boardwalk spanning over Myriage Lake and we did the same. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of fighting, swords clashing and winds roaring in challenge as Roc screeched, drunk with battle. The first time I saw a real dragon in combat and I was being hunted as a fugitive.

"Dammit! Fiends are here!" Ranzal slammed his axe into a line of fiends that jumped out of the water, opposing us, "I'll lead the charge! Euden, stay behind. Your fire spirit is going to do no good here!"

"What? Why?!" Suddenly, a goblin fiend leaped out of the lake and fell onto Euden. The prince swung blindly and cleaved the fiend's arm off, but it powered through somehow and clonked Euden on the head, giving him a nasty bruise. I finished the job with a stab through the neck as Cleo healed Euden, "Oh… that's why"

"Yeah, these fiends seem to be water-attuned. Me with my wind spirit does best here!" To show an example, another row of fiends appeared to challenge us, with two magical "Marine Gobmancers" teleporting in. Ranzal threw a whirlwind with Tornado Bash and completely demolished them instantly, "See? You can leave everything to me!"

"Your Highness, stay in the middle of us! We may not have the elemental advantage like Ranzal does, but we're faring better than you are!" Elisanne impaled a blue fiend bird swooping down from the air, "Let's get to that village on the other side of the lake and get some help!"

"Right. Come on, everyone! Go, go!" Ranzal cleaved through another line of fiends with a wide swing. The boardwalk we were on provided an easy chokepoint, but we were at risk of being trapped between fiends and the Dyrenell battalion. All we could do was keep moving while hoping Ku Hai survived and kept the army down for long enough.

"There's a big water troll up ahead! Let's be quick about it!" Cleo called and the massive ogre-like troll roared, raising it's club to smash us to paste. Ranzal ran up to it, projecting Storm Wall to deflect the blow.

"Here we go! Have a piece of Ranzal!" The mercenary ripped away at the massive troll's legs with Tornado Bash while Cleo's shadow magic rained upon it from above. The troll fell quickly, shaking the boardwalk as it dissolved into dark mana. Before it was completely gone however, I saw arrows glistening off the remnants of the troll's face. That was odd. Nobody here had a bow.

"No imperial is moving unless they want an arrow in their face!" We turned and saw the same archer I encountered yesterday aiming a bolt at us in her bow. The sylvan archer Eleonora, "You dirty Dyrenellians will pay for destroying my home!"

"Eleonora, wait!" I cried and the archer's eyes widened in surprise as she lowered her weapon, "We're not part of Dyrenell! We're being hunted by them right now and we're not responsible for any attacks on your village. We're not the enemy!"

"You're… you're not? Then who do I fight? Who do I have to kill to avenge my people?!" Eleonora cried, blind with rage. Ranzal slowly pointed to behind her and I saw dozens of Imperials in hot pursuit on Ku Hai, who was riding away on Roc like a mount. The dragon was covered in blood, both her own and the enemy's, "There!"

"Eleonora, no! There's too many-" I tried to stop her, but she already ran off in a mad dash to help Ku Hai. Elisanne tugged me along as the village came within reach. The sound of fighting behind us grew more and more distant as we left Ku Hai and Eleonora behind.

"You knew her?" Cleo inquired, curious, "I thought sylvans don't interact much with humankind"

"I met her and Rodrigo while fiend hunting yesterday," I replied, "She helped me harvest materials to make new weapons and even gifted me a wyrmprint"

"Ah. I see. Hopefully she remains safe," Cleo turned to Euden, who still looked relatively distraught, "Your Highness, shall we rest for a bit? You look terrible"

"Yeah, cheer up!" Ranzal slapped Euden's back. Luckily, the fiend assault has winded down now that we were approaching civilization, "Sure, the kingdom's turned into an evil empire and our lives have all basically been ruined, but whenever I feel low, I look up at the clouds and remember I don't have to be blue. That's the sky's job!"

"Ugh. I think you need to dig a little deeper for words of inspiration" Elisanne groaned and the mercenary spread his hands, surprised.

"Aw come on! It wasn't that bad!"

"Don't worry everyone. I'm fine," Euden shook his head, shining a weak smile, "I just wish we had some sort of plan. Should we find a way back to the Halidom to fortify ourselves or find a way to confront Father? I've never been so lost before…"

"Halt!" Another sylvan archer dropped down from a nearby tree in front of us, aiming his bow directly at Euden's head. We pointed our weapons at the assailant in challenge, "If you're smart, you won't move a muscle, because I never miss"

"Wait a moment, it's another sylvan!" Notte gasped, "And he's seriously hurt too!"

The fairy wasn't kidding. The archer was bleeding all over the place from gaping wounds in his chest, arms and legs. He looked like he picked a fight with a herd of cats wielding knives. It didn't help that the only "armor" he had was a shirt that barely covered up to his abdomen. One stab through the guy's stomach and he was done for.

"I think it's safe to assume a sylvan would never do Harle's bidding. Easy, friend," Elisanne walked over to help the sylvan stand. He could barely hold up his bow anymore and easily accepted Elisanne's aid, "You're about to keel over here"

"Nngh... You imperial vermin did this! You and your dragons!" The archer spat hatefully, but his eyes were starting to droop from his injuries.

"Dragons?!" Euden suddenly looked very worried, "Don't tell me Emile unleashed Mercury…"

"I'd never have lost to them if they'd fought fair!" The archer snarled as his legs began to wobble "I'd still have my little sister, and you wouldn't see...a scratch on me…"

And with that, the sylvan slumped in Elisanne's arms, out cold.

"So what are we going to do with him? He's convinced we're his enemies and will probably kill us buutttt he's out cold," Ranzal frowned and looked to Euden, who was looking at Cleo, "We're healing him, aren't we?"

"Yes. I need to know if Emile has truly invoked his pact dragon. We can't just leave him here," Euden looked ahead and behind him, looking for enemies, "Cleo, can you heal him?"

"Of course," The sylvan healer rose her rod into the air, muttering an incantation, "Elder Cure!"

A spark of green light glittered over the archer's body, washing over him and healing most of his wounds. Because Cleo's healing was weaker than Zethia's however, several cuts and bruises still remained. Still, he should wake up soon.

"I'll go back and see if I can find Ku Hai and Eleonora," I decided. We were already taking a break waiting for the archer to wake up, so I might as well make it productive. Euden nodded, making me promise to not go too far. I walked back onto the boardwalk, my hands clung tightly to my weapons. The new Mailbreaker and Ensorcelled Sword I got were finely-forged, but I still felt ill-confident with everything that has happened.

"Am I doing the right thing siding with the prince?" I murmured to myself once I was alone. I only joined along with his quest to curry favor with a good noble and raise my paycheck. Now I'm part of a small fugitive group running away from the empire, "Should I jump ship and work in the empire? Euden's force won't last long and I could ensure my survival…"

I looked behind me, where I could barely make out shapes heading towards us. Ku Hai and Eleonora probably, "I still have Alberian knight armor, so I could probably pass easily for a common soldier. Hmm…"

"Adrian!" Eleonora called when she and the swordsman reached me. The trio was covered head to toe in blood, although the sylvan archer still held a visible scowl and primal rage. Ku Hai simply looked winded.

"We took out most of the Dyrenell battalion, but that shadow swordsman and the prince gave me and Roc a surprisingly tough fight. We only got out safely because Eleonora here nearly shot them in the head," Ku Hai gestured to the bloody sylvan archer while he recalled Roc into it's dragonstone, "I had to drag her back with me though. More Dyrenell soldiers were on the way"

"And I could of killed them all if you didn't hoist me onto the dragon," Eleonora growled, fuming, "Two arrows for two dastardly heads and this whole mess would be over"

"Dyrenell is composed of more than just those two. Surely you understand that," Ku Hai replied, wiping the sweat off his brow, "Anyways, we're here now and shook the enemy off our tail"

"Fantastic. We should be able to rest easy for a little bit then," I nodded, "Right now, we're resting while a fallen sylvan archer recovers. Come and get healed from Cleo"

"Another sylvan?! Bring me to him!" Eleonora demanded, her ears jerking up. It was cute, the way her white ears twitched, "It could be a survivor of my village!"

"Possibly. Come on, he's right over here"

_Our team:_

**\- Adrian, Yearning Freedom - Shadow lance. Level 13**

Equipment: Mailbreaker, Ensorcelled Sword (Weapons) and Alberian Banner (WP)

Skills: Luna Breaker

**\- Ku Hai, Rambling Blade - Wind sword. Level 17**

Equipment: Grassrunner (Weapon), Howling Predator (WP) and Roc (Dragon)

Skills: Soaring Flicker and Keen Blade

**\- Eleonora, Curious Archer - Wind bow. Level 14**

Equipment: Proof of the Wind (Weapon) and Crown of Yore (WP)

Skills: Viper Bolt and Vendetta Arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "Our team" section was starting to get long with everyone joining in alongside the main cast, so I'm shortening it down to just Adrian + secondary adventurers. Anyways now we're entering the in-game chapter two, where things are really starting to boil within Alberia and for Euden's party. This series might take a bit of a break as I need to get back to other fanfics I put off in favor of this, but soon, it shall return. Kudos and comments appreciated. Until next time!


	6. To Woodhaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Euden and his party is now on the run, branded traitors by the once-royal Alberian Army. Their escape takes them through Myriage Lake, where they pay witness to the Empire's atrocities for the first time. Mercury, Prince Emile's pactbound dragon has laid devastation to several sylvan villages and it's up to Euden to set things right in the region.

We made it back to Euden's group just as the unknown sylvan archer awoke, his body swathed in bandages to cover his remaining injuries. Cleo stated she didn't want to use another Elder Cure on the archer when it could be saved for a time more important.

"Ughh… wh-where am…?" The archer tried to stand up, his posture unsteady and gaze woozy. Eleonora frowned when she saw him.

"Another sylvan, but it's not one from my village. Likely from Woodhaven," Eleonora muttered before approaching the injured hunter, "What even happened to you? Did the Empire devastate your home too?"

"Urk… yeah. The stupid Empire happened," The archer groaned, trying to sit up. Elisanne pushed him down gently however, "And now I'm getting nursed by those crapsacks. This is a disgrace…"

"Except we're not part of the Empire. Hell, we're being hunted by them at this very moment," I told the archer as I kneeled down to get to eye level, "Now if you can, tell us exactly what happened when the Empire attacked. I want to know what they're planning to do here"

"How am I supposed to know? They attacked us for no reason. We were just going about our lives, when-" The archer gave a hard cough, spilling up blood briefly, "Argh…"

"Sit still, or else I shall cast tranquilizing magic on you. It's for your own good," Cleo threatened as he wiped the sylvan's mouth with a rag to wash away the blood, "Tell us everything that happened. Begin with your name"

"I'm Luca. My village and the kingdom have always left each other be. I heard about all the political shake-up but assumed things would stay the same," Luca explained, "Until that snake came along with his dragon and ordered us to bend the knee to the emperor. He said he was some prince, sixth in line for the throne"

"Emile and Mercury…" I heard Euden murmur as Luca continued.

We refused, of course, at which point he threatened to destroy the village," Luca's eyebrows scrunched up with fury, "So I lunged at him, and...and I was winning!"

"You absolutely do not look like you were winning," Elisanne grumbled, "You look like you picked a fight with a Greatwyrm and you did"

"You lost and washed up by the side of the lake" Cleo added flatly and Luca gasped in shock.

"What? No! I fought valiantly!" Luca replied the best he could before clearing his throat, "...Er, by my reckoning"

"You idiot. You should of led your village out of there instead of charging headfirst at a pactbound prince and his dragon," Elisanne scolded, "And despite radical injuries, you still decide to hound after us like we're part of the Empire. What were you thinking?!"

"Regardless of his reasons, we now know that the Empire's going around terrorizing villages to set an example," Euden grit his teeth, "And if they don't comply, well…"

"They destroy it, just like they did to Luca's and mine" Eleonora finished bitterly, "I hope the residents made it out safely…"

"I don't care about their reasons. They need to pay for this," Luca growled, trying to stand again. This time however, Cleo slammed him back down, "Ow! Let go of me! My people need me!"

"You need to REST!" The sylvan healer snarled in response.

"Luca, you won't be any use to your people dead. Let us come with you at least," Euden offered and Luca shook his head vigorously.

"And put you face-to-face with that dragon? I don't think so," Luca protested, "I don't want you on my conscience, too"

"Emile is using his dragon to torture innocent people. That affects all of us. But we can stop him together. And more to the point, I'm sick and tired of running away," Euden said defiantly, "I need to confront him and find out who has taken my father's place on the throne"

"Wait… just WHO are you?"

"Prince Euden of Alberia. The seventh in line for the throne and for what it's worth, the younger brother of Emile" Euden answered and Luca gasped.

"Holy pine nuts! You're the traitor they're all looking for!"

"Bzzt! Wrong! Lies!" Notte cried, "Don't believe a word those spiders say!"

"Oh, I don't. Now that I've gotten a closer look at you, I can see in your eyes that you're all honest folk," This time, Luca managed to stand up without much difficulty, although he winced, "I accept your help, Euden. Gratefully. Now follow me, everyone. We have a dragon to confront!"

"You're going to trust us just like that?" Ranzal asked, surprised and Luca laughed.

"You guys nursed me back to health, so I need to repay you anyways," The sylvan archer shrugged, "Plus, there's a saying that goes in my village: when the wicked brand traitors, that's when you know who to trust. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so we're a team now"

"That's good. Before we find Emile and Mercury though, let's look for your villagers. Maybe they managed to escape the Empire," I suggested and Euden nodded in approval.

"Good plan. Let's go to Luca's village first and search from there"

"I'll lead then. Follow me!" The sylvan accepted his bow from Elisanne and raised it high in the air, a bright smile marking his face, "Let's make the Empire wish they never threatened us!"

It was a short walk to Luca's village. Euden and the sylvan took the lead, quietly talking with one another, but they were loud enough for us to hear anyways.

"You know, that brother of yours is a real scoundrel. I hope the five above him in line for the throne have more brain cells than he does," Luca off handingly said. Euden winced slightly at the insult to his brother, "... Sorry, that was uncalled for. But can you tell me about the others actually? I know so little about human society"

Euden frowned, thinking, "Well, including me and Zethia, that are eight royal children. But not all of us live in Sol Alberia, the capital city. My brother Leonidas and my sister Chelle, first and third respectively, rule great cities of their own. Valkaheim and Chanzelia, to be exact"

"Interesting. Who is second in line?" Luca inquired.

"That would be Phares. He lives in the royal city as the court alchemist, where he studies all manner of things," Euden held up his hand, touching his pinky finger, "The fourth is Valyx, who leads a unit in the royal army. All of them are pactbound to dragons"

"That's bad news if any more start to develop a taste for conquest" Luca frowned, chewing on his lip.

"Forging a dragonpact is a condition for joining the line of succession, so it's inevitable," Euden continued, "I have one, although not because I want the throne"

"What about the Auspex? Does she have a pactbound dragon?" Ku Hai asked curiously and Euden shook his head.

"She's the only one in the royal line without one. She forfeited her claim to the throne and became the Ilian Auspex instead," The prince replied, "She was never one for ruling over others anyways"

"That's your sister that went missing, right? I'm sorry to hear that," Luca frowned. One look at his face told me he was really thinking about his own sister, "So are they good folk like you? Or violent dastards like Emile?"

"They're good people!" Euden replied almost too quickly, "Admittingly, I haven't spoken to them very often, but the ones I know are incredible people"

"Leif should get the credit for that. He has worked closely with every single one of the Alberian royals," I commented and Euden nodded in agreement, "He always was the most levelheaded and sensible person in the room"

"Agreed. He's not royalty, but he's been the best of us regardless," Euden had a forlorn look in his eyes, "Makes me wonder what he's doing with Dyrenell then…"

"If he wasn't royalty, then who is he? He must be special if he's worked with every Alberian royal," Luca asked, breaking Euden out of his thoughts.

"Leif is the captain of the Alberian royal knights. But more importantly, he was a good man and a faithful friend," Euden got a wistful look in his eyes, "I can talk to him about anything. We all trust him"

…

"..Nngh. Show me again, Leif! I'll best you this time!" Euden panted as he rose his training sword again, determination burning on his face. Leif's training was brutal, but the prince never complained. His desire to sit down and stop was washed away by the want to surpass Leif, one way or another.

"You will one day, Your Highness. I can see it in your eyes," Leif smiled, sheathing his blade. Euden lowered his as well while the captain went over to fetch a drink from a nearby cooler, "I shall train with you until you are every bit as strong as your older siblings!"

"Did they start out like this as well?"

"Oh yes they did. Even Leonidas, strong as he is now, was frankly a wimp in combat until I took him under my wing"

"Leonidas?! A wimp? You have to be joking, Leif!"

"It's no jest. Leonidas, Phares and Emile were all inept in combat just like you are now. It wasn't until they trained and developed their skills did their swordplay become legendary. Or lancework, in Prince Phares's case," Leif handed Euden a water bottle, "It's why I'm called the White Sparrow after all"

"What do you mean?" Euden inquired as he took a sip of the cold water, refreshing himself.

"I may not have dragon wings like you, but I can fly ahead and show you the way," Leif replied, "And I intend to make you quick with your sword and quicker with your mind. Now come, Your Highness. We begin anew"

"I'm ready for it!" Euden lifted his blade, pointing at Leif. The captain did the same, poised to strike.

"You don't have Leonidas's fierceness or haughtiness, nor Phares's skill with a lance, but you must have something," Leif leapt towards Euden, bringing his sword down in a diagonal strike. Euden rose his sword to block, but Leif feinted his incoming attack and whacked the prince's side instead, "And I shall find it! I will strike at you until you sing!"

…

"Euden? Still with us?" Luca broke the prince out of his stupor again and he flinched in shock slightly, looking around himself, "Don't worry. We're almost at my village"

"Ah… I'm sorry. I was remembering better times. Times where I could have anything I wanted," Euden replied wistfully, "A father to revere, siblings to admire, a good friend in Leif... Even the royal guards were all kind to me. And most importantly, Zethia was by my side"

"You will see her again" Elisanne assured encouragingly. Euden smiled lightly, as if trying to believe it himself.

"We will. But it makes me think: where do the rest of my siblings stand on this? And Leif must be beside himself with what's happening right now," Euden bit his lip, "Will my family ever be united together again…?"

Silence fell over us as we crossed the boardwalk and made it into a small grove leading towards Luca's village. The sylvan took a slightly faster approach, muttering to himself in discontent. Only Eleonora kept pace.

"Please be alright…" Luca whispered through gritted teeth. His grip on his bow tightened as a troubling feeling built in his gut. His knuckles turned white with anticipation and he felt himself shivering. Something happened to his sister. He just knew it.

"How does he move so fast through all this brush?" Elisanne asked as she sped up to keep up with the two sylvans, "The moss clinging to my boots makes it so hard to move…!"

"Gotta hand it to the sylvans: they know how to make nature work for 'em," Ranzal shouldered his axe, glancing at Cleo, "Right, Cleo?"

"Don't… talk to me… right now," Cleo panted, strangely exhausted, "Oh how I loathe exercise…"

"Only a few steps longer. The village is just up ahead," I said, pushing my way through the sloshy moss and into a clearing with the others, where the sky was filled with smoke and smog. The leftover of an attack.

"By the goddess… what did Emile do?!" Euden gasped. All of Woodhaven was devastated into smoldering ruins. Only a few houses remained and all of them were more ruined shacks than actual living spaces. Not a soul was in sight, Imperial or sylvan.

"No! It's too late. This went worse than I thought!" Luca buried his hands into his face, "It's all my fault…"

"Everything has been laid to ruin. I've never seen anything so terrible," Elisanne frowned as she observed the nearby remains of the village. Some of the houses look like they were blasted by a magical cannon. Splotches of water marked the walls like someone hit them with a tidal wave.

"But I don't see any bodies, which means the people here may have escaped," Euden said optimistically, "Let's take a lot around the rubble and see if anyone's around"

"Good idea. Sarisse? ...Someone answer me!" Luca yelled into the deserted village. Nobody answered, "Hello?! Is anyone here?!"

"To think Emile used Mercury to devastate a village like this," I clenched my fist in disgust, "They say Mercury is the most compassionate of the five Greatwyrms, so to see her used to destroy is a travesty"

"Indeed. I wonder what Emile even did to earn her trust. From what I'm hearing, he seems like the worst possible fit for her," Elisanne agreed, "A Greatwyrm like Mercury would have never formed a pact with him"

"He bought his pact. That's what," Ranzal replied, inspecting a nearby ruined shop, "I dunno what he did exactly, but word goes around that he tricked or bribed Mercury with a promise in order to form a pact. There was no way that slimeball was doing it the proper way"

"Gaining dominion over a Greatwyrm like that… Detestable," Cleo fumed, "I hope he learned his lesson from Ku Hai and hightailed out of here"

"Actually… he called angrily to chase after me after me and Roc gave them a thrashing, so I can't say he's off our tail yet," The swordsman shook his head, "Prince Emile doesn't sound like the person to give up like that"

"Stubborn and persistent to the end. I suppose that is one good quality of him," I sighed before scanning our surroundings again, "Hm, doesn't seem like anyone's around"

"It definitely looks like the sylvans escaped this village, but…" Cleo looked at the ground, frowning, "It's strange how there are no bodies or blood anywhere. No sign of a struggle either besides the ruined houses. Just what happened…?"

"Wait! Someone's coming! Hide!" Luca hissed and we all dove behind cover as Emile, Harle and an Imperial armored knight walked into the desolate village, carrying a white haired girl with tall white ears. The Imperial knight's hands were on the sylvan girl's shoulders, restraining her.

"Let go of me, you pompous jerk!" She screeched in anger.

"Not until you tell me where the villagers have hidden, you animal!" Emile shot back, fury clinging to his voice. I dared to look above my barrel hiding place and saw that the prince was caked in dirt and looked utterly windswept. A result of Ku Hai and Roc's efforts definitely. Harle on the other hand, didn't have a scratch.

"I don't know! And even if I did, I'd never tell you!" The sylvan girl clutched her hand into a fist, "Now take THIS!"

Before any of the Imperials could react, the girl smashed her fist into Emile's gut, making him yelp in pain. I winced in pain from the blow myself.

"OW!" Emile cried before glaring at the girl, eyes blazing with anger, "...You DARE strike a prince? G-get her away from me!"

"Yes yes, of COURSE, Prince Emile. Please calm yourself. Remember that our objective is to capture the prince and his retinue of traitors. Pay these animals no mind. They belong in cages," Harle snapped his sheathed blade onto the sylvan girl's thigh, making her snarl in anger, "You there! Lock her in the carriage!"

"Yes, sir!" The Imperial armored knight grabbed the sylvan's hands, restraining her further.

"Ah! Get your hands off me!" She shrieked and I heard Luca grunt beside me, drawing an arrow and nocking it into his bow.

"What are you doing?!" I hissed as I ducked down into my hiding spot, "Harle and Emile are still here. We can't take them on!"

"I don't care. That is my sister, Sarisse! And those Imperial vermin are about to lock her away like she's some animal!" Luca snarled before rising from his hiding spot into plain view, "Have a load of this! Radiant Bonds!"

An arrow enveloped in bright golden light flew through the air, nailing the Imperial knight right in the head and splintering his helmet into pieces, along with his skull. Surprised, Emile and Harle watched in disbelief as we all revealed ourselves, coming in to surround them.

"This is more than I can handle alone. Prince Emile, to me!" Harle called and took the prince's arm as he drew his Dainsleif, "Toodles, Prince Euden. We'll see each other again soon!"

"You may have escaped once, but you won't survive once I unleash Mercury on your jaunty band. I swear it!" Emile yelled hoarsely, but Harle already dragged him off. We decided to not pursue them and instead help Sarisse.

"Are you alright?" Cleo was helping Sarisse up, dusting the dirt and grime off her body. The sylvan looked at each of us warily before centering on Luca.

"I'm alright, but HOW?! How are you not dead?!" Sarisse cried at her brother, looking more outraged than relieved. Luca simply rubbed his head in exasperation.

"Ha ha! Oh, come on. Do you really think a dragon could kill the likes of m-" Luca replied sheepishly, but Sarisse slammed her fist into his gut, the same way as she did for Emile, "Owwww!"

"You idiot! That was a DRAGON, and you were INSANE to take it on!" Sarisse yelled angrily, " Know your limits next time, mush-for-brains!"

"Holy carp! I think that blow lifted Luca a couple'a feet off the ground" Ranzal marveled as Luca collapsed from the blow, clutching his stomach in agony. His face turned a pale shade of green.

"Luca? You still with us, buddy?" Notte floated down to the sylvan's fallen body, "Oh man, I don't think eyes are supposed to roll back in your head like that"

"It's his fault for worrying me," Sarisse groaned before stepping over Luca's body, "Now apologize, Luca!"

"I think we should wait for his organs to shift back to their original positions first…" Cleo muttered before raising her rod, casting a minor heal spell to restore Luca. The sylvan got to his feet, looking winded still.

"So where are the rest of the villagers?" Euden asked.

"Down at the Forest Refuge. I came back to try and find my idiot brother here, but got caught along the way," Sarisse frowned, "Well, thanks for rescuing me and him. We've been looking for Luca all day and night"

"And that's why you elected to greet me with your fist instead of a wave?" Luca groaned as he stood up, shaking himself off, "You're WORSE than the dragon"

"That'll teach you to catch a lady by surprise" Sarisse replied smugly.

"I'd hate to intrude on your sibling squabble, but we should be getting to the Forest Refuge. The empire is still on our trail," Cleo interrupted. Sarisse looked at her and a minor smudge of confusion marked her face, "What is it?"

"Sorry. It's just that we don't see a lot of sylvans outside of Woodhaven. But pay it no mind," Sarisse shook her head, glancing at Eleonora as well, "Let's make for the refuge. I'm sure everyone will want to meet the man who rescued Luca"

…

It was a short walk to the forest refuge. Luckily, it was off the beaten road and deep within a forest grove, so the Empire definitely won't be able to trace us here. Eleonora was glancing around, looking troubled. She was staring at Luca and Sarisse with a strange look of envy and content.

"What is it, Eleonora?" I asked, breaking the sylvan out of her thoughts. She flinched, turning her head to me.

"N-nothing. It's just that seeing Luca, Sarisse and all the sylvans ahead reminds me of my own village. All the residents there, good upstanding sylvans, murdered in cold blood by the Empire and their fiends," Eleonora clutched her Proof of the Wind tightly, "Their innocent lives stolen away for what? So the Empire could show off their power? We didn't even do anything to them!"

"I'm afraid that's exactly why the Empire did it: to show off and test their power," I bit my lip at the prospect of it. Suddenly I felt very ill wearing my Alberian armor, "Looking at all these sylvans, what does it make you feel?"

"A burning desire for revenge. To take back the lives stolen from the Empire. More innocents will die from their hands and I won't stand it," Eleonora growled, "Human or sylvan, they were all innocent. The Empire preys on that"

"Be that as it may, don't let your vengeance define your entire being. You are one person and can't defeat the Empire yourself," I reminded her. Me consoling someone felt very uncharacteristic, "Don't endanger yourself or any of us for it, alright?"

"Mmgh… I'll try"

Not long later, we exited the forest tunnel and made it into the refuge, where dozens of sylvans were walking out and about, carrying bows, arrows, daggers and other supplies. They were preparing for an invasion.

"Is everyone all right?" Luca called to the nearest sylvans and they turned to him, looking both amazed and shocked.

"...Luca?! You're alive!" A bunch of sylvans started hugging and slapping Luca on the back. He responded with passionate, if not arrogant tales of his battle with Mercury.

"I've never seen so many sylvans in one place…" Euden marvelled. I nodded in agreement.

"Nor I. Just look at all those ears! There's a whole sea of them," Elisanne got moony eyed, "It's adooorable…"

"I suppose there is a certain… flair to them," Cleo replied uneasily and Elisanne balked away, looking embarrassed.

"What? Huh? Did I say something?" Elisanne smiled sheepishly, blush marking her cheeks, "Uhm… pay me no mind"

"Luca, you blasted fool! What were you thinking, taking on a dragon in battle?" A sylvan elder cried, breaking apart the crowd swarming Luca.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put everyone through so much trouble" Luca replied, looking ashamed. The elder stamped his cane onto the ground in irritation.

"You should be. Houses can be rebuilt, but lives cannot. We've all been worried sick" The elder's tone took on a less strict and more caring tone. Luca slumped in guilt.

"I'm sorry, Elder. I'll never do anything that stupid again. I swear it on my bow and in the name of Mother Nature" Luca apologized and the elder smiled, satisfied.

"Very good. Now I believe we owe you our gratitude, travelers" The elder turned to Euden and the rest of us.

"We only did what anyone would do. And while I know it's not my place to tell you what to do, Elder, the Empire's army is going to find this place soon," Euden warned the elder, taking note of the invasion preparations around us, "We should devise a plan before that happens"

"Hm, then it's just as I feared. But my people are not fighters, and we have nowhere else to run," The elder glanced at his fellow villagemen, "The best we can do is harry the Empire with the environment, but we have serious trouble penetrating heavy armor"

"Eh, don't worry about that. We'll keep ya safe. All we gotta do is lure Emile away from his troops and then "persuade" him to back off," Ranzal gripped his axe, eager to fight, "Bet the Empire dropped some fiends around here, so let's hunt them down first, yeah?

"I agree. They'll be a thorn in our side if we let them run free," Elisanne nodded, "Let's split up into groups of two and get rid of the fiends around here"

"I'll go with Eleonora," I volunteered. The sylvan looked at me, surprised, "Just to make sure she doesn't go too far with her fiend slaying"

"What do you me-" Eleonora sighed, cutting herself off, "Fine. We've worked together before, so this should be quick"

"I'll go with Elisanne. Ranzal, go with Luca," Euden decided, gesturing to our party members, "Cleo is with Sarisse and Ku Hai…"

"I can handle myself. I have Roc by my side," The swordsman pulled out his dragonstone, summoning the wind-bound mercenary dragon by his side. The sylvan villagers backed up in both amazement and shock, "The fiends won't know what hit them"

"Alright, good. Take care to not devastate TOO much of the forest," Euden told Roc and she nodded in understanding, "Okay everyone, clear out as many fiends as you can around here and meet back when you're finished. We'll figure out our next move from there!"

With that finished, Eleonora took my arm and we plunged into the verdant, endless forest together, unaware of what prowled in the darkness...

_Our team:_

**\- Adrian, Yearning Freedom - Shadow lance. Level 13**

Equipment: Mailbreaker, Ensorcelled Sword (Weapons) and Alberian Banner (WP)

Skills: Luna Breaker

**\- Eleonora, Curious Archer - Wind bow. Level 14**

Equipment: Proof of the Wind (Weapon) and Crown of Yore (WP)

Skills: Viper Bolt and Vendetta Arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a boring chapter this time. Not the best one to return with after a hiatus, huh? Luckily, things will ramp up in the next chapter and we'll probably face down Mercury by then. Until then, enjoy Sarisse and Luca's introductions to the story I guess. Please leave a comment if you want to give constructive criticism. I'd love to get the chance to improve my story whatever way I can. Until next time!


	7. The Riptide's Maiden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined to free Myriage Lake from the imperial onslaught, Euden and his party team up with the sylvan villagers to repel the Empire's soldiers and isolate Emile and Mercury. What ensues is a battle that'll test the limits of Euden's strength and leadership, along with Mercury's morals and code with the dragonpact. Does Emile genuinely want to aid the Waterwyrm or was he simply a greedy prince eager for power? What is known for certain is that the Waterwyrm's power will be unleashed on this day...

The sylvan forest was crawling with fiends far different from the ones in the Mistholt. Raptors, small flying crow-like fiends swarmed above us, peppering us with volatile shots of water that ruptured the ground beneath us like they were comets. They also threw small hurricanes towards us that blew us off our feet if it collided with us. Thankfully, Eleonora easily shot them down.

"Be on your guard for the wolves. The moment they knock you down with their flying dash attack, they'll pounce onto you and try to eat your face off," Eleonora warned as she launched an arrow through a giant rat, pin cushioning it. Those guys had razor sharp claws, pointed teeth and frequently carried mean infections. Getting touched at all by the rats was lethal. With Eleonora's ranged advantage however, they were once again no issue as long as we stayed together.

"Hah!" A giant basilisk whipped it's head at me, fangs first. I stabbed my spear blindly and skewered it through it's neck, moments before the teeth hit my chest. If this was the type of fiends the Empire would be unleashing onto the world, I didn't know how we would stand a chance, "Another one down. How many more are there, Eleonora?"

"Not too many. Just a few wolves, raptors, rats and one big Cyclops ahead," The sylvan reported as she dropped down from a tree, bow at the ready, "We'll proceed as usual"

"Right. Me as the vanguard and you as the backline supporter. We got this"

"My bow will make quick work of them, so don't fear being overwhelmed," Eleonora nodded before frowning, "Come to think of it, do you have your skills at the ready?"

"Huh? Uhh, yeah. Why?"

"Skills are bursts of your elemental spirit. When you activate that burst, it expels out of your body briefly," The sylvan archer explained, "And that expulsion shields you while your skill is in motion. Keep that in mind"

"So what you're saying is that I should draw the attention of the fiends and unleash my Luna Breaker to keep myself safe while you hail arrows onto them?"

"Precisely. Your skills and mine combined will decimate the fiends fast," Eleonora nodded, her bow glowing green briefly, "Now let's wrap this up"

"Right. Here we go," I charged ahead towards the group of blue fiends, arcing my lance behind my back and calling forth my shadow spirit within. As the wolves snarled and begin to pounce, the tip of my Mailbreaker burned with purple flames.

"LUNA BREAKER!" I shouted and leaped, smashing the flaming spearhead onto the group of monsters, incinerating them in the eruption of ebony fire. The wolves and raptors were destroyed, but the Cyclops and rats still remained, "Elenora, now would be a good time!"

"GARRR!" The Cyclops roared, leftover scars and flames still marking his body as he raised his club to smash me. The rats lunged at me, but I swatted them away my spear shaft before dropping it to draw my sword. I sliced off one head of a rat before darting away to dodge the club. The second rat raked it's claws across my arm, but it was luckily protected by my gauntlet. Another slice and it was down.

"Eleonora?!" I called again and turned to see her locked in combat between five goblin fiends. I had to finish this Cyclops myself then.

"ROARR!" Taking advantage of my distraction, the Cyclops swung his club in a wide arc, crashing it into my helmet and crumbling me to the ground like a stack of bricks. My head rattled and I felt blood mat my hair, but it was a miracle the helmet survived the impact. I stood up unsteadily, sword up to fight the Cyclops. I learned in training that swords naturally have the advantage over blunt weapons like axes and clubs, so I should be able to overcome this. Before I could make a move however, the Cyclops began to crouch.

"Jump!" My instincts screamed at me and I made a mad dash away as the Cyclops jumped off the ground and belly-flopped where I used to stand, nearly flattening me. My lance got crushed in the process however, so I was stuck with my sword for the time being. The Cyclops was starting to get up, so this was my chance.

"Die!" I cried and slashed my blade over the fiend's hard face and neck, cutting in a flurry of blows. I yelled in determination as the Cyclops roared in agony, struggling to rise with me wailing away at it's face, "Haahhh!"

With a decisive stab, I gorged the Cyclops's eye out before drawing my sword back, surrounding it in dark energy. As the fiend roared in pain, holding it's eye socket, I drove my shadow-filled blade right into it's chest.

"PHANTOM STRIKE!" I cried as my second skill was unleashed and a burst of darkness shot through the fiend's chest like a cannon shot, leaving a massive hole that pierced it's heart. With a surprised grunt, the Cyclops collapsed to the ground with a mighty thud and dissolved into particles of dark mana. I panted, trying to get my bearings before I went to check on Eleonora. I distantly remembered fiends like Cyclops being classified as "boss fiends" in monster fighting class and I just took down one of them by myself.

"Adrian!" Eleonora's voice broke me out of my thoughts and I turned to see the sylvan walking up to me, riddled with dirt and scars. Still, she bore a proud smile, "Are you okay?"

"I should be asking the same question! You got dogpiled by five fiends back there. How did you kill them all?" I asked, marvelled by Eleonora's rather pristine condition despite everything. Suddenly my Cyclops slaying didn't seem as impressive, seeing as it was a singular foe and he was rather slow. Eleonora dealt with five quick goblins that can knock you out in one hit.

"You underestimate how well a sylvan fights in their home environment. We were born and lived here our whole lives," The sylvan replied smugly, "I simply perched myself onto a tree branch and picked the fiends off one by one. Easy peasy"

"Huh. Suddenly being human doesn't seem that great, especially since you guys live far longer too," I said, sheathing my Ensorcelled Sword. My Mailbreaker was gone, so the blade was all I had now, "What do us humans even have over you sylvans?"

"How should I know? I've never interacted with humans before I met you and Rodrigo," Eleonora chewed her lip, "Only thing I can say is that you humans have more ingenuity. Alberia was a result of your kind after all"

"That's true," I nodded before walking out of the grove, "Well, seems like we're done here. Let's get back to Luca's village and plan our next move"

"Right behind you"

When we arrived back at the sylvan village, only Euden and the other non-sylvans were present strangely. All the villagers were missing.

"What's going on?" I asked while Eleonora scorged around for spare arrows.

"Someone spotted Imperials troops en route to the forest refuge, so the sylvans are setting up an ambush for them while we sneak around and bait Emile away from his army," Euden explained, "Our main goal is to take out Emile and Mercury, so we need them somewhere away from Imperial support"

"Sounds good. So what's the plan to bait Emile away?"

"While the sylvans occupy and pressure the Imperial troops, we'll sneak through the forest and into their backlines to confront Prince Emile," Elisanne replied, "Then we'll provoke and bait him further down Myriage Lake so he's entirely away from Imperial troops. Then we'll strike"

"Ready, sylvans? Let's show those imperial dogs what they get for destroying our village!" I heard Sarisse cry from the western edge of the refuge, "Aim...aaanddd... LOOSE!"

"The battle started! Let's move everyone!" Euden called and we all followed his lead, pushing through the dense forest that bordered the battle between the sylvans and the Imperials. Arrows whizzed through the air, cutting through the enemy soldiers one by one. They were caught completely by surprise and were in disarray.

"It's a sylvan raid! Battle positions!" One Imperial yelled.

"Wha?! No! Stay here, you fools!" I heard Emile's voice screech through the air as our group cut into the open, approaching Emile's backlines, "Don't you dare leave me undefended when there are arrows flying through the air!"

"Sire, if we don't go on the offensive, they'll overwhelm us!" An Imperial commander argued before turning his attention back to the battle, "Armored units, to the front! Defend the lesser infantry! Someone get a torch to burn this forest down and expose the sylvans! Then, kill them all!"

"Idiot! You dare defy me?!" Emile screamed, but the commander already ran off to join the fight, "...Fine. Fight your damn battle, then, but I'm not staying here to die! I'm getting out of here!"

"What a useless excuse for a prince... Fall back, everyone!" Sarisse commanded, "Keep your distance! All of this is for nothing if we get caught!"

We watched as the sylvans subtly withdrew from their positions, leaving behind nasty surprises for the Imperials in forms of bombs and explosives. The moment they dropped down from the trees, they harassed and harried the enemy soldiers, slowing them down immensely.

"Gah, this is ridiculous! What's so hard about taking out a small group of filthy rabbits?!" Emile screamed in frustration, "What kind of soldiers are you?! Take a torch and burn this damn forest down! NOW!"

" **Emile, the sylvans are more clever than you think they are. The moment they see a flame, an arrow's going to pierce through the torchbearer's heart,"** A beautiful blue dragon warned as she materialized next to Emile in a flash of blue sparkles. That must be Mercury, " **Exercise prudence. By acting the way you are, your soldiers aren't fighting as hard as they could be"**

"How dare you howl orders at me?! You may be one of the Six Greatwyrms, Mercury, but you'll never be as great as I!" Emile boasted and I could see Mercury mentally slap her head from a mile away, "You are bound to me by our pact, Waterwyrm, and you shall do as I say"

" **I seek only to remind you of the stakes. You're senselessly throwing your troops in to try and stamp out the sylvans. They will all perish if you hold back yourself,"** Mercury continued, " **This situation demands force. Show your men you have the makings of a ruler, and they will remember it forever. They'll fight harder as a result"**

"Yes... This is indeed the perfect chance for a show of force!" Emile grinned madly and grew his Featherblade. Euden creeped towards him and we followed suit, "Come with me, then! The hunt begins!"

"If it's a fight you want, Emile, I'm happy to give it to you," Euden interrupted as he drew his own sword. Emile whirled around, surprise marking his face.

"Wha?! Euden?! You're a stain upon our family, traitor!" Emile's grip on his sword tightened. However, he didn't move or even command Mercury to attack us. He was hesitant. Or afraid, "I can't believe you dare show your face"

"And you have forgotten your pride as a royal and instead bring suffering to innocents everywhere," Euden countered, venom itching into his tone, "So which of us is the true traitor here?"

"Ha! What drivel. I am merely doing the bidding of our father...YOUR emperor. I am completely in the right!" Emile shot back.

"An empire of torment is no empire at all. You'll rule over nothing but bone and ash. How can you not see that?" Elisanne growled, "Or are you so blind and prideful that you only seek glory for yourself?"

"Hold your tongue, or I'll part you from it!" Emile cried, anger lines forming on his face. His grip on his sword tightened even further, but again, he didn't lunge. Any normal person would have impaled Elisanne here and then, but Emile didn't. He was a coward who didn't believe in his own skills, "I'll slit your tongue out with this blade if you say another word!"

"Let's see you try, Imperial dog" Ranzal taunted and Emile looked like he was about to explode.

"Rrrr, fine! You wanna fight? I'll give you one!" Emile roared, "I'll send you straight to hell, where you can lament your fate for lashing out against me!"

"Gotta catch us first!" Euden grinned darkly before taking off in a mad dash southeast of the Forest Refuge. The rest of us followed suit as Emile screamed in anger.

"You're not getting away!" The prince yelled before sprinting after us. Mercury reluctantly followed along as well. As we ran through the boardwalk, fiends popped up to harang us, but we slew them with ease.

"Let's make for the cave by the waterfall over there!" Euden pointed to a mountain left of us, "We can corner Emile and Mercury that way!"

"First, the fiends. Move aside!" Ranzal took the front and cut down line after line of slime and goblin fiends. Two basilisks leaped out of the water however and fired powerful jets that knocked the mercenary down, "Oof!"

"I'll clear the way. Rest easy," Ku Hai stepped forward, letting wind mana gather around his Grassrunner sword, "Keen Blade!"

Curling into a closed off position, Ku Hai surrounded himself with wind mana before hurling himself through the air. The basilisks could barely manage a tiny spit of water before Ku Hai crashed into them, blade first. They fell and dissolved into dark mana faster than I could even process it.

"Incredible! Keep it up, Ku Hai!" Eleonora encouraged as she let loose arrow after arrow, weakening the tougher fiends and showering the lesser ones. We were just about the reach the cave, with the only thing stopping us being a small group of goblin fiends and a giant basilisk. The basilisk in particular was what was known as "menaces". Smaller than boss fiends, but bigger than normal ones. That wasn't a problem for our two wind adventurers though.

"Soaring Flicker!"

"Viper Bolt!'

While Ku Hai's flurry of sword strikes sliced apart the fiends with ease, Eleonora's poisoned arrow rocketed towards the giant basilisk and split it's head open. The sylvan archer then followed up with Vendetta Arrow, pincushioning the fiend through it's neck. It didn't even get to fire off a single attack and it was already done.

"Inside the cave, everyone! We're fighting Mercury and Emile there!" Euden commanded and we all charged inside, not even sparing a second glance behind us. When we reached a large, empty chamber inside however, the duo were waiting for us, "E-Emile?! How did you get here?"

"Oh Euden, you should use your pactdragon more liberally. They are more than just fighting machines after all," Emile grinned smugly, "I simply had Mercury teleport me here with her powers. Such a shame it only works with water, but we still made it here first"

"So what then? We still lured you away from your troops. You're cornered," Elisanne pointed her lance at the blonde prince, "Not even a Greatwyrm can stand against us. We tote two wind dragons of our own"

"Fool! You wouldn't know the strength of Mercury even if it slapped you in the face!" Emile shot back, "For that, I'll show you now. Mercury, have at them!"

" **I must do my duty,"** Mercury said solemnly as she charged towards us, intent on stomping us down. Instantly, we scattered and the wind adventurers stepped forth onto the offense, " **Prince of Dragonlight, show me the power that has earned the Windwyrm's respect"**

"Oh, I'll show you. I'll break you free from Emile's wretched control no matter what!" Euden opened his palm, summoning the Midgardsormr pactstone, "Midgardsormr, I invoke thee! HaaaAAAAH!"

A brilliant green light swirled around Euden, lifting him into the air and transforming him into the mighty green Windwyrm. Roaring in challenge, Midgardsormr charged and tackled Mercury, the two of them struggling against each other like they were wrestling.

" **It doesn't have to be like this, Waterwyrm. We're old comrades. We do not need to come to blows because of humans!"** Midgardsormr's regal voice boomed throughout the arena. It didn't sound like something the Windwyrm would say. Euden must have been speaking alongside him, " **Cede your pact to Emile before it's too late!"**

" **Prince Emile made me a promise: a promise to protect my domain with his wealth and power. I cannot ignore that chance!"** Mercury headbutted Midgardsormr, ending their stalemate and pushing the Windwyrm back. Before he could regain his bearings, Mercury shot a powerful blast of water from her mouth, making Midgardsormr crash against the cave wall. The wind adventurers attacked Mercury from behind, but were swiftly knocked down by her tail.

"Cleo, healed the injured. The rest of us will take Mercury!" I rallied and we surrounded Mercury on all sides, stabbing and slashing the Waterwyrm with all our might. After they were healed, Ku Hai, Eleonora and Ranzal joined the fray. They were having the most luck, shearing off scales and flesh with every blow. The Waterwyrm was having none of that.

" **Waters… heed my command!"** Mercury intoned and began to pulse with a swirling whirlpool around herself.

" **Aqua Spiral! Everyone, back up!"** Euden shouted through Midgardsormr and all of us fell back as far as we could. Unfortunately, the whirlpool sucked some of our teammates in and it was about to blow.

"Ancient Aegis!" Cleo called, casting a blue shield over Ranzal and Ku Hai, but it wasn't needed. The swordsman pulled out his dragonstone and muttered the summoning incantation quickly.

"Roc, sally forth! Protect us!" Ku Hai declared, summoning the mercenary dragon to our aid. Flapping her wings, Roc projected a swirling tornado around Ku Hai and Ranzal, shielding them from Mercury's torrential Aqua Spiral that shook the cavern around us. Water shot everywhere and they flew through the air so fast that it actually knocked some of us down. As Roc faded to light from taking the attack, Mercury turned to Ku Hai and Ranzal.

" **Hydrocannon!"** Mercury called, preparing to blast another spiral of water from her mouth. Ku Hai and Ranzal scrambled around to avoid it while Eleonora peppered Mercury with arrows, but it wasn't necessary. Euden was back and body slammed Mercury out of nowhere, interrupting the Hydrocannon. Raking his claws over Mercury's stomach, he drew bloody wounds that made Mercury shriek in pain.

"She's broken! Pile on everybody!" Eleonora yelled. Elisanne blessed us all with Brave Bastion and we went to town, wailing on the poor Waterwyrm while she was down and struggling. Skills, blades and magic flew from all directions and I could barely keep track of the fight at all. All I could see was what was right in front of me: Mercury's bloody side. I stabbed the Greatwyrm again and again, throwing down Luna Breakers and Phantom Strikes whenever my body agreed with it. We were definitely claiming victory today.

" **Tornado Tail!"** Euden cried and he spun around in a circle as Midgardsormr, generating a fierce whirlwind that knocked all of us backwards. The cyclone slammed into Mercury and sent her flying towards the back of the cavern, crashing into a shallow pool of water and her own blood. The Waterwyrm looked like she was down for the count.

"WHAT?! How could my dragon lose to insignificant dregs like you?" Emile cried in both surprise and rage, "Get up, you beast! You can still fight!"

"Emile, stop! You're hurting her!" Euden yelled as he returned back to human form, "She can't fight anymore. It's over"

"Silence! Don't you dare mock me! As if it weren't bad enough being lorded over by our other siblings, now I have to deal with YOU?" Emile roared, resentment and pure hatred oozing out of his voice, "I cannot abide it! None of you are stronger than me. NONE OF YOU! I've barely shown you a sliver of what I'm capable of"

The prince marched over to the fallen Waterwyrm, smacking her with the sheath of his sword like it was a whip, "Now get up and continue fighting. NOW!"

Suddenly, an arrow came whizzing by from behind us, nearly clipping Emile in the shoulder. He yelped, turning to the adversary by the entrance of the cavern.

"Who did that?! Whom ever did, show yourself! I'll crush the life out of you with my bare hands!" Emile threatened and Luca of all people strode towards the prince, aiming another arrow at his face.

"If you're smart, you'll stay where you are. Lay one more finger on that dragon, and I'll put an arrow through your eye," Luca threatened back, centering his aim more on Emile's face.

"You… you wouldn't dare!"

" **Why do you come to my defense, sylvan? I nearly killed you the last time you thought to challenge me,"** Mercury said weakly as the water around her slowly washed over her body, healing her grievous wounds. Just like Midgardsormr and his wind mana, Mercury could naturally heal.

"Perhaps you did, but you didn't finish me off. You held back and spared me," Luca replied, not taking his eyes and bow off of Emile, "The least I can do is return the favor. But the real reason I came here is for one simple question, Mercury"

" **... What is it?"**

"Euden stands tall because he's willing to fight for this world's future even as it continues to try and crush him underfoot," Luca began, "Can you stand tall, dragon? Or will you continue to bow to this poor excuse of a master who pummels you like a common barnyard animal?"

" **Are you asking me to question my pact?"**

"No! I'm asking you to fight for who you want. I cannot believe that a Greatwyrm, the greatest of all creatures, would actively want to fight for someone who treats them less than dirt!" Luca cried, "Please cut your ties with him. It's for your own benefit!"

" **Ah, but I'm already receiving benefits from it. A promised one, at any rate,"** Mercury stood up, nearly completely healed from her wounds, " **I fight for a beautiful land of azure seas, which I treasure above all else in this world. Emile promised to use his wealth and power to keep the ocean safe"**

"Urghh… to hell with your oceans!" Emile cried desperately and Luca's finger twitched, ready to fire his arrow, "You're up and healthy, so KILL THEM NOW! Unleash High Mercury for Ilia's sake!"

" **... What did you just say?"** Mercury turned towards Emile, eyes burning with quiet anger, " **Did you just say "to hell with your ocean"? The very one you swore to protect?"**

"Yes, I did. And so what?! Let all the water in the world turn to swampland. It means naught to me. You are my slave now, dragon!" Emile declared and Luca's arrow flew, nearly nailing the prince in the head, "Eep!"

" **You lied to me, and thus do you dishonor the sacred bond between dragons and your bloodline,"** Mercury glared at Emile, the waters around the cavern resonating with her rage. It shook with her primal fury and Emile trembled in his boots, " **You two-faced fiend…"**

"You see, Waterwyrm? Emile isn't worthy of a pact with you. Your power isn't meant to be used on such petty ambitions!" Euden cried, "You are a Greatwyrm. You are meant to protect the world and control the very elements that sustain our lives! Being a slave to Emile is beneath you!"

" **Then who should I devote my power to? When I rose onto this continent, I left the seas behind. In my stead, I need someone to protect my home"**

"I'll do it!" Euden declared boldly and Emile gasped in horror, "I understand how important a home is. As do the sylvans. So let ME keep your home safe. You don't need Emile"

" **Hm, you would take his place? An interesting prospect…"**

"Wait, what?! Do you know nothing, you fool?!" Emile shouted at Euden, "Mercury is MY pact dragon and mine alone! You can't just steal her away from me!"

" **Prince Emile, I will ask you this. What is the Dragon's Parting?"** Mercury turned to the disheveled prince and his expression quickly turned from anger to utter horror.

"The Dragon's Parting… NO! You… you can't do that!" Emile cried, "I forbid it! We have a pact and you're not allowed to break it!"

" **If the Dragon's Parting does not kill me and dissolve me to mana, then I'll know it wasn't a true pact at all,"** Mercury began to glow with blue light as we all stepped back, " **And I can believe it wasn't. Prince Emile, our time together was brief. I do not regret this"**

"Mercury, you idiot dragon! Don't try this!" Emile cried hoarsely as the light around the Greatwyrm grew stronger, "STOOOPPPPP!"

A brilliant white flash illuminated the cavern as Mercury severed the pact between her and Emile. When the glare faded, Emile watched in horror as his blue pactstone cracked and crumbled to pieces in front of him. His pact with Mercury was officially undone.

" **It is done. Our pact is no more"** Mercury intoned and Emile sank to his knees, utterly consumed by despair and hatred. It was a beautiful sight to see.

"Waterwyrm Mercury, let's be quick about this. Form a pact with me and join along with your former comrade in the War of Binding," Euden said formally and Mercury nodded in understanding.

" **First, answer me this. Prince of dragonblood, for what reason do you fight? Why do you seek our power?"** Mercury asked, " **You already wield the power of Midgardsormr. What purpose do you need of two Greatwyrms?"**

"To defend all that I love. I just lost someone dear to me because I lacked the strength to protect her," Euden answered genuinely, "So please… give me your help. I need to save both my sister and my kingdom from it's tyranny"

" **Hm, I can see the resolve in your eyes. And there is no deception in your voice either,"** Mercury smiled lightly, " **You shine like a true king and thus, are worthy of my blessing"**

"Give unto me your trust and I swear I'll return the favor"

" **Very well. Prince of dragonblood, I am Mercury. Mistress of the seas, ruler of the waves and queen of the ocean. I cede my strength to you and your allies,"** Mercury intoned and blue light shined between her and Euden, connecting them together. The light surrounding their bodies condensed in the middle, forming a shining blue crystal identical to Midgardsormr's pactstone. Euden grabbed hold of it, taking it as his own.

"A pactstone? B-b-but that cannot be! How is it possible?" Emile moaned. I was tempted to walk over and shut him up myself. Permanently.

" **I was able to break my pact with you because your motives when forging it were untrue. Simple,"** Mercury reprimanded the fallen prince, " **The next time you deal with a dragon, especially a Greatwyrm, beware of the consequences"**

"You've betrayed me! I will never forgive you for this!" Emile screamed, deaf to Mercury's words. Before the Waterwyrm could reply, Harle strode into the cavern, clapping. All of us turned our weapons against him, but he simply drew his Dainsleif, letting the dark miasma flinch us in our tracks. A group of five Imperial soldiers came in soon after, surrounding Harle for protection.

"Ha ha ha! Poor Prince Emile. He lost his dragon!" The Alberian general laughed heartily. Emile steamed and grumbled, discontent.

"Where the hell were you this whole time, Harle?!" The prince cried, frustrated, "Ughh, whatever. Kill these maggots and get my fool dragon back!"

"Not this time, Prince Emile. Let's let this loss slide for now, hm?" Harle smiled before turning to Euden, who was still faintly surrounded by Mercury's power, "The real surprise is you, Euden. Multiple dragonpacts? And both with Greatwyrms! What are you, Alberius the Founder?"

"What do you want Harle?"

"Ah, sharp and straight to the point. I was hoping for a longer conversation," Harle feigned discomfort before clearing his throat, "I came to retrieve Prince Emile and give you a warning"

"Retrieve?!"

"Why, yes!" Harle turned back to the blonde prince, "You and Mercury mysteriously disappeared from your unit's backlines not too long ago! You caused quite the shock, to say the least. Some were even celebrating!"

"Harle… your warning?" Euden reminded the general, getting impatient.

"Ah, right. You're too late," Harle deadpanned, watching the shock in Euden's face, "Emperor Aurelius has taken full frontal action on the world and his first objective is to destroy the governors of the elements"

" **He's destroying my fellow Greatwyrms?!"** Mercury cried in outrage.

"He would never do that! ...At least, my father wouldn't," Euden countered, "No one is insane enough to take on a Greatwyrm solo!"

"Well, Emperor Aurelius seems to want to challenge that notion. You can come outside to see the results for yourself," Harle smiled jokingly before looking at Prince Emile again, "Now then, we must take our leaves. Ta ta!"

And with that, Harle and Emile were escorted out of the cavern by the Imperials. Once all of them left, I spoke aloud:

"Why didn't we just kill them here and there? We had the firepower for it"

"Killing Harle and Prince Emile wouldn't have changed much. If anything, it would of just provoke the Empire to us even more," Elisanne reasoned although her expression was painful, "As much as I wanted to kill those men myself, it would just cause more problems"

"And I believe Emile can be reasoned with. He's still my brother, after all," Euden added as he recalled Mercury into her pactstone, "I'd prefer him not dead"

"Oh! Forgive me, Your Highness. It was out of place for me to wish upon his death," Elisanne apologized quickly and Euden smiled, shaking his head.

"It's alright Elly. I can understand your reasoning," Euden opened his palm in front of Elisanne, summoning the Mercury pactstone, "Also, I'd like you to have this"

"Mercury? You want me to have her as my companion dragon?" Elisanne asked, confused, "Surely there are better candidates for it, Your Highness! You wielding two Greatwyrms at once would be a massive boon!"

"Elly, Mercury's a water dragon. She directly conflicts with my own fiery elemental spirit," Euden explained, holding out the pact crystal to the Paladyn for her to take, "You are directly attuned to her however. You'll make the best use of it. Please take it"

"A-alright. I accept, Your Highness," Elisanne took the pact crystal and it glowed faint blue, resonating with her spirit, "I hope we can get along. I vow to be better than Emile ever was"

" **I trust that you will, Elisanne. You have the Waterwyrm's strength at your disposal,"** Mercury's voice echoed throughout the chamber, " **Now then, make for Mount Adolla. Brunhilda, the Flamewyrm is in danger"**

"So Harle wasn't kidding when he said Father was starting to stamp out the remaining Greatwyrms…" Euden looked troubled, "Okay everyone, we'll regroup at the Halidom before sending a party to Mount Adolla. We can't let the Flamewyrm fall!"

"YEAH!"

With that, we left Myriage Lake in good spirits. Luca and Sarisse, grateful for our aid, joined along with us and we rode full speed back to the Halidom. Our next destination was the fiery crags of Mount Adolla…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, Chapter 2 of the main story is finished. Unlike the last chapter, which was mostly filler and dialogue, this one featured a fight against Mercury to spice things up. Hopefully that made it exciting. Seeing as a lot of the adventurers will be on standby for the next in-game chapter, I may split the parties to deal with events and such to keep things interesting. Please leave constructive criticism by leaving a comment. I'm always happy at the opportunity to improve my work. Until next time!


End file.
